“As a top athlete, you have to be prepared for things not always going smoothly. There will be times when you can’t do anything. I wasn’t ready for that.” Nina Pinzarrone on her preparation for the season
Nina Pinzarrone on her preparation for the European Championships.
original source: Sporza dd. January 13th, 2026
Belgian figure skater Nina Pinzarrone, after a disrupted season due to injury and illness, is focusing on regaining confidence at the European Championships ahead of her first Winter Olympics. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Sporza.
Nina Pinzarrone won bronze at last year’s European Championships but is now tempering expectations after a disrupted preparation. “I want to regain my confidence.”
At the Europeans, Belgium has two contenders: Loena Hendrickx and Nina Pinzarrone. Both skaters had a difficult 2025, and the European Championships are set to be the last major test before the Winter Olympics begin next month.
“It’s coming up so fast. And then you think: I’m not ready at all.”
Nina Pinzarrone expressed on Sportweekend the doubts she’s struggling with as she approaches her first Winter Olympics. Last year, she impressively took bronze at the European Championships and finished 7th at Worlds, but her preparation for this season was seriously disrupted by a broken foot and surgery.
“In the summer, you’re supposed to work super hard toward the Olympic season. But I actually didn’t train for three-quarters of that summer. That was really tough mentally,” Pinzarrone said, admitting she had underestimated it.
“As a top athlete, you have to be prepared for things not always going smoothly. There will be times when you can’t do anything. I wasn’t ready for that. I’ve had bad injuries before, but never at such a crucial time and never for so long.”
Pinzarrone forced herself to take things day by day. “I tried not to look too far ahead and to focus on each new step. I’m not the only one who’s had to go through something like this. It’s not the end. It could be so much worse.”
But just as she was getting back on track for the European Championships, Pinzarrone was struck by a nasty flu at the start of the year. “Things were going so well, getting better and better. And suddenly I woke up and was completely knocked out. I wondered if things would turn out okay.”
The illness has now passed, but doubts still linger, Pinzarrone admits. “My self-confidence is still a bit shaky. So I’m not thinking too much about points or medals.”
“I just want to regain that confidence and come back from the European Championships with the feeling that I can do it again and feel good. Then I’ll still have a month to train for the Winter Olympics.”
Related topics: European Championships, Nina Pinzarrone
Leave a Reply