Belgium will end Winter Olympics with one medal after disappointments in mass start
Belgium failed to win a medal in the mass start event on Saturday and will end the Winter Olympics with one medal, which can be considered a disappointing result. At the 2022 Games in Beijing, Team Belgium won two medals and it was looking to do better in Milan-Cortina.
After Hanne Desmet disappointed in the 1,500m event in short track on Friday, the hopes of the Belgian nation on the penultimate day of the Winter Olympics rested mainly on the shoulders of speed skater Bart Swings, who started the mass start event as defending champion.
But after a race in which many other favourites took a wait-and-see approach, Bart Swings finished only 9th in the mass start final. The other Belgian in the final, Indra Médard, finished 8th. The gold medal went to Dutchman Jorrit Bergsma.
Two Belgians also competed in the women's competition: Fran Vanhoutte and Sandrine Tas. Tas and Vanhoutte launched several attacks in the final, but ultimately fell behind. Fran Vanhoutte finished ninth and Sandrine Tas thirteenth. The gold medal also went to the Netherlands in this race, to Marijke Groenewoud.
These Winter Games, which end tomorrow, can be considered a disappointment for Belgium. The ambition was to do better than four years ago, when Team Belgium won two medals. Belgium also sent a record delegation of 30 athletes to Milan-Cortina.
But in the end, only the mixed relay team in the short track event managed to win a medal. Hanne and Stijn Desmet, Tineke den Dulk and Ward Pétré secured a bronze medal.
There were however many strong performances by Belgians that did not lead to medals. For example, Sandrine Tas finished fourth in the 5,000m in speed skating, Armand Marchant achieved a fifth place in the slalom competition and skeleton racer Kim Meylemans finished sixth.
Bart Swings after the final of the mass start event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games © BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS
Related news
