Figure skater Loena Hendrickx qualifies for Winter Olympics

20 September 2025

Belgian figure skater Loena Hendrickx secured her place at next year's Winter Olympics by qualifying in Beijing on Saturday. She needed to secure a top-five spot, and finished third.

Hendrickx, who is 25 years old, was already in third place on Friday after the short programme, having scored 66.92 points. On Saturday, she scored 138.04 points in the free programme, bringing her total to 204.96.

Victory went to Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian, who competed under a neutral flag. She won with 209.63 points, ahead of Georgia's Anastasiia Gubanova.

Two Belgian skaters at Games

Thanks to Hendrickx's qualification, Belgium will now have two figure skaters at the Winter Olympics. Eighteen-year-old Nina Pinzarrone had already secured her place with her seventh-place finish at the World Championships in Boston, USA, at the end of March. Hendrickx missed that tournament due to an ankle injury.

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The Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee still has to officially confirm Hendrickx's nomination, although this seems to be a mere formality.

Third participation

The Winter Olympics will take place from 6 to 22 February 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. This will be Hendrickx's third participation after 2018 in Pyeongchang and 2022 in Beijing.

In addition to the two figure skaters, Belgium will also have at least eight biathletes and Maximilien Drion competing in ski mountaineering at next year's Winter Games.

^{#FlandersNewsService | Loena Hendrickx competes in the women’s short programme at the ISU Skate to Milano figure skating qualifier in Beijing on 19 September © PHOTO WANG ZHAO / AFP}

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