Winter Olympics: Belgium take bronze in speed skating mixed relay

Belgium have won their first medal at the Winter Olympics, finishing third in the short track mixed relay speed skating event.

The team of Hanne and Stijn Desmet, Tineke den Dulk and Ward Pétré finished behind hosts Italy and Canada in the final in Milan on Tuesday. China finished fourth. Belgium had unexpectedly qualified for the final after the USA and Korea both crashed during their semi-final.

The pace of the race was slower, suiting the Belgian team who stayed close to the pack throughout. A small mistake by China opened a gap, which Pétré exploited to move into third place, and Stijn Desmet held on to claim the bronze medal.

© PHOTO HENK JAN DIJKS / MARCEL TER BALS / DEFODI IMAGES© PHOTO HENK JAN DIJKS / MARCEL TER BALS / DEFODI IMAGES© BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS© BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS

In the B final, made up of the semi-finalists who didn’t qualify for the final, the Netherlands set a new Olympic record for the event.

Earlier in the day, Hanne Desmet qualified for the quarter-finals of the 500m individual short-track, while Stijn Desmet was eliminated from the 1,000m. The competition continues on Thursday.

The medal is Belgium's ninth in Winter Olympic history. At the last Games in 2022, Hanne Desmet won bronze in the 1,000m individual speed skating event and Bart Swings took gold in the mass start skating competition.

^{The Belgian short-track relay team celebrate their bronze medal in Milan, 10 February 2026 in Milan © BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS}

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