Nina Pinzarrone: “At one point, I didn’t even know if I’d make it to Europeans, the Olympics, or Worlds, because I couldn’t train. I came here to do one last competition this season. But I never dared to dream of winning a medal.”
Nina Pinzarrone, exhausted but proud, reflected on her unexpected bronze at Worlds, overcoming a difficult season and embracing her place among the sport’s elite.
original source: Sporza dd. 28th March 2026
A tired but happy Nina Pinzarrone made time this morning to show her bronze World Championship medal to the Belgian press. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Sporza.
“I absolutely didn’t expect this; I’m proud of this result. If you’d told me months ago…”
She sat in front of the camera with sleepy eyes. “I had doping control and couldn’t pee, so I was at the sports hall until 3 a.m. I didn’t even get to see my mom.” That hug was scheduled for later this morning.
Before the free skate, Pinzarrone said she would be happy just to hold onto her fifth place from the short program, given the scores of her competitors, but it turned out to be so much more. “I honestly thought it would be hard to stay fifth. In training, they’re all so strong.”
“But you have to do it in the moment. I absolutely didn’t expect this. I came here to do one last competition this season and show my best self after the Olympics. But I never dared to dream of this,” she said, still amazed by her achievement.
“I put the medal on my nightstand last night, and when I woke up this morning, I wondered if I’d dreamed it.”
Pinzarrone skated her best free program ever. She didn’t realize it right away: “I felt small mistakes myself. But apparently, they didn’t see them.”
“I felt really good in training, but I was very tired and just tried to get through the program with as many points as possible. Afterwards, I didn’t immediately feel like I could win a medal.”
For the first time in her career, she got to sit in the hot seat. When the medal was secured, she couldn’t believe it, as the first images showed. “The realization came, but also didn’t. It was very strange.”
“You can’t be too cheerful on camera, because it’s tough for someone else. You have to hold back a bit. The realization only really hit when the next skater was on the ice.”
“I knew I could perform well, my form was better than before the Olympics, but it’s always surprising when you make such a big leap.” She improved her free skate record by 10 points.
And that after a very difficult season. A serious injury in the summer disrupted her preparation, and she barely made it to the Olympics. “If you’d told me a few months ago that I’d win a Worlds medal, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“At one point, I didn’t even know if I’d make it to Europeans, the Olympics, or Worlds, because I couldn’t train.”
“There was a lot of uncertainty, a lot of stress. This is a gift to finish like this. It couldn’t be better. And I’m glad the season is over.”
Because of her problems, she decided to keep the same free skate, instead of creating a new one as usual. “That was a tough choice, but the right one. I’m glad I could skate this program one last time like this.” But she’s also glad to be done with it: “Honestly, I was a bit tired of it in training,” she laughed.
Beforehand, she was a bit awed by the champions she got to skate with in the final group. She called herself “a fangirl.” On the podium, she stood next to a great champion like Kaori Sakamoto. “We chatted a bit, since her English isn’t super good.”
Sakamoto is a four-time world champion and three-time Olympic silver medalist. “It’s super special to stand on the podium with her. The fact that it was her last time made it even more special. There were a lot of emotions.”
She still can’t quite say she belongs among the top skaters: “It’s hard for me to believe, but I do belong,” she said hesitantly. “I just need to stop doubting so much. Because in the end, I got the result and I can be proud of that.”
With this Worlds medal, she’s checked off a box on her to-do list. What’s next? “I hope to win more medals, but I don’t want to stress too much about it. I just want to do my best and enjoy it. Everything that comes next is a bonus.”
She’s not thinking about next season yet. “This result gives me a lot of motivation. But I’m exhausted now. I’d say I won’t skate for a few days, but I have to participate in the gala,” she chuckled. “After that, I’ll take a break – I need it mentally and physically.”
Related topics: Nina Pinzarrone, world championship
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