Can Nina Pinzarrone secure two Olympic spots for Belgium at the 2025 World Championships?
The 2025 World Figure Skating Championships (March 25-30, Boston, USA) are around the corner, and it will be the most important competition in three years. This event will decide how many Belgian skaters can compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. With two-time Olympian Loena Hendrickx injured and unable to compete, all eyes will be on Nina Pinzarrone, Belgium’s national champion.
It is every athlete’s dream to compete on the Olympic stage, 18-year-old Nina Pinzarrone is two good performances closer to making that dream reality. After winning the bronze medal at the European Championships in January, she will have the chance to earn her Olympic ticket at the World Championships. But Pinzarrone is not only skating for herself, she is also trying to secure a second ticket for Loena Hendrickx, who just had a surgery on her ankle after she got injured in December.
Olympic Qualification
To qualify two spots at the Olympics, Pinzarrone would have to place in the top 10. If she places in the top 24 out of 26, she earns one Olympic spot for Belgium. However, this spot belongs to Belgium, not to a specific skater. This means the Belgian Olympic Committee (BOIC) and the Belgian Skating Federation can still choose who they send to the Olympic Games.
Fortunately this is not the only event to earn an Olympic ticket for Belgium. There will be a qualifying competition in September that will take place in China. If Nina places outside the top 24, Belgium will still have the chance to earn a spot at the Qualifier.
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Foot injury
Pinzarrone has been having problems with pain pressure because of her figure skates. She is being treated by a doctor and had some injections to relieve the pain. Next weekend will be her last competition before Worlds, the Flemish Championships. She will compete against one other Senior skater, so this will be more of a test-competition for her.
The pressure is on
At just 18 years old, Nina Pinzarrone has shown enormous potential, but the pressure will be higher than ever. She is capable of ending up in the top 10, but she will need to deliver a strong performance. Last year she finished fifteenth at Worlds after competing with a cotton wool in her nostril because she had a nose bleed after the warm-up.
Text: Elena Vandervorst
Photo: FloweringDagwood (CC BY 3.0)