Loena Hendrickx takes silver at European Figure Skating Championships

17 January 2026

Loena Hendrickx finished second at the European Figure Skating Championships in England on Friday. Compatriot Nina Pinzarrone just missed out on a medal, finishing fourth.

26-year-old Hendrickx, who was fifth after Wednesday’s free skate, climbed to second with a total score of 191.26 points. Pinzarrone scored 185.40. Gold went to defending champion Niina Petrokina of Estonia on 216.14 points, with Italy’s Lara Naki Gutmann third.

Petrokina had taken a comfortable lead on Wednesday. Before the free skate, there were four candidates left for the silver medal, including Pinzarrone and Hendrickx.

Hendrickx was the first of the favourites to take to the ice on Friday. Her routine contained no major mistakes but was not outstanding and lacked a second triple jump. Pinzarrone opened with a combination of two triple jumps. Though she executed them well, she fell soon after on another triple.

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For the two Belgians, the European Championships were a final test ahead of next month's Olympics. Both are returning after a period of injury but are now fully fit again. Their main goal at the tournament in Sheffield was to build confidence ahead of Milan-Cortina.

Japan and the USA dominate women’s figure skating, and a place in the top six would be a notable achievement for a European skater. Currently, only Petrokina seems a likely candidate.

Hendrickx became European champion in 2024, having won silver in 2023 and bronze in 2022. Pinzarrone won bronze at the last two European Championships.

^{Loena Hendrickx at the European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, United Kingdom, 16 January 2026 © PHOTO YUAN TIAN / NUR PHOTO}

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