Figure skater Denis Krouglov is eleven years old and is the young up and coming skating talent in Belgium. He is part of the Belgian national team. This means he is able to represent our country at international competitions. Because of the pandemic, his international career was put on hold out of the blue. Ice rinks had to close and suddenly training was not possible anymore: ‘You quickly lost your physical condition. You then had to completely rebuild it and that was not convenient.’

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During lockdown, the Royal Belgian Figure Skating Federation (KBKF) came up with solutions for the top athletes so they could still train on the ice. Every figure skater with this status was able to continue their training so they did not lose their power and physical condition. Denis is only eleven years old, so he is not yet eligible for the status. Because of this he could only train off ice, which is not comparable to training on ice.

His coaches got together with the KBKF to start up a new project for young talents like Denis. This new project will provide them of the support they need.

In the summer of 2020 ice rinks reopened and Denis could start training on ice again. He competed in some national competitions to keep him in shape. In April of 2021, the Belgian borders reopened so international competitions were once again possible. Denis has competed during the Egna Spring Trophy in the beginning of May and has won first place.

 

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Text & video: Stella Meulemans, photo: ©Nastya Krouglova