Elena Quirici

Elena Quirici (born 16 February 1994) is a Swiss karateka. She is a two-time medalist at the World Karate Championships and a seven-time medalist, including four golds, at the European Karate Championships.

Quirici represented Switzerland at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She competed in the women's +61kg event. Quirici is also a two-time medalist at the European Games.

Career
At the 2012 World Karate Championships held in Paris, France, Quirici won one of the bronze medals in the women's kumite 61kg event. In 2015, she won the silver medal in the women's kumite 68kg event at the European Karate Championships held in Istanbul, Turkey. In that same year, Quirici lost her bronze medal match in the women's kumite 68kg event at the 2015 European Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The following year, she won the gold medal in this event at the 2016 European Karate Championships held in Montpellier, France.

In 2017, Quirici competed in the women's kumite 68kg event at the World Games held in Wrocław, Poland. She lost two matches and drew one match in the elimination round and she did not advance to the semi-finals.

At the 2018 European Karate Championships held in Novi Sad, Serbia, she won the gold medal in the women's kumite 68kg event and also the gold medal in the women's team kumite event.

Quirici won one of the bronze medals in the women's kumite 68kg event at the 2019 European Games held in Minsk, Belarus. Four years earlier, she lost her bronze medal match in the women's kumite 68kg event at the 2015 European Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

In March 2020, Quirici was scheduled to represent Switzerland in karate at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. This changed in March 2021 after the World Karate Federation revised the system for Olympic qualification. In June 2021, she was able to regain her qualification status at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Paris, France. Quirici finished in third place in her pool during the pool stage in the women's +61kg event and she did not advance to compete in the semifinals. She was the flag bearer for Switzerland during the closing ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics. In November 2021, she competed in the women's 68kg event at the World Karate Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates where she was eliminated in her third match by Alisa Buchinger of Austria.

Quirici competed in the women's kumite 68kg event at the 2022 European Karate Championships held in Gaziantep, Turkey. She was eliminated in her second match by eventual bronze medalist Vasiliki Panetsidou of Greece. Quirici also competed in the women's kumite 68kg event at the 2022 World Games held in Birmingham, United States.

Quirici won the gold medal in the women's 68kg event at the 2023 European Karate Championships held in Guadalajara, Spain. She defeated Irina Zaretska of Azerbaijan in her gold medal match. A few months later, Quirici lost against Irina Zaretska in the final of the women's 68kg event at the 2023 European Games held in Poland. She won the silver medal in the women's 68kg event at the World Karate Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.

She won the silver medal in the women's 68kg event at the 2024 European Karate Championships held in Zadar, Croatia.