The 20-year-old Slovak athlete competed in five disciplines at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy, winning bronze medals in the downhill and super-G, but it was her peculiar activities between races that captured the imagination of the Paralympic community in Cortina.
On March 8, just hours before competing in the super-G, Alexandra Rexova picked up a bronze to add to her two bronze medals in the speed events. Yet the night before that second medal, something far more unusual occurred. Bruce, a five-foot-five one-legged brass emu, was "safe and receiving the best care" according to a handwritten ransom note left inside the Australian Paralympic team's residential quarters.
Rexova, who has a visual impairment and competes with two guides, decided to participate in what she understood as a long-standing Paralympic tradition. "We respect the tradition of mascot stealing and it will return to you soon!" the note said. Along with guide Matis Duris, Rexova had seen the emu parked outside the Australian base and heard stories about a previous theft during the Paris Games. They spirited it away late at night, carrying the sculpture between them back to their quarters.
The heist created genuine concern among the Australian team. Officials launched a multinational search effort, with an Australian Federal Police officer working with security personnel from Canada, Great Britain, and Germany to track down the stolen mascot. For two days, the emu remained hidden in Rexova's bathroom as Italian police narrowed their investigation.
The ordeal weighed on Rexova's conscience. "The policeman was outside and was trying to find it," she said. "I was really stressed about it." The Slovakian skier eventually returned Bruce, but worry lingered about whether giving back the emu had cost her competitive edge. In her next two events, she finished fourth in both the super combined and the giant slalom with Duris as her guide.
Whether superstition proved justified or coincidence aligned, Rexova's fortunes shifted in her final race. Competing in the slalom on Saturday with Duris once again at her side, she claimed her third bronze medal by 0.08 seconds. The result vindicated both the emu's power and the decision to return it.
"He brought me good luck," Rexova said after crossing the finish line. "So maybe in another Paralympics, you know what we are going to do." For now, Bruce the emu remains safely in Australian hands, though perhaps watching more carefully during future Games.