Nina Pinzarrone
Birth dateNovember 24, 2006 (age 19)
Birth placeBrussels, Belgium
HometownBrussels, Belgium
Height1.62m
Skating clubASW Antwerp
Beganskating2011
DisciplineWomen's singles

Nina Pinzarrone (born November 24, 2006) is a Belgian figure skater. She is the 2026 World bronze medalist, a two-time European bronze medalist (2024 and 2025), three-time Belgian national champion (2024–26), and a two-time ISU Grand Prix medalist, one of only two Belgian women to have medaled at those events.

She represented Belgium at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Personal life

Pinzarrone was born on November 24, 2006, in Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Laurence Novalet, is also from Brussels while her father, Mario Pinzarrone, is of Italian origin.[1][2] She has an older sister, Lily, who is also a figure skater.[3] Pinzarrone's mother tongue is French; she learned Dutch at school and also speaks English. Because her father is of Italian heritage, she studied the Italian language for a year as a fourth language but does not speak it.[4][5] She is currently studying for a degree in nutrition.[6]

Career

Early years

Pinzarrone began learning how to skate in 2010 at the age of three. She followed her sister Lily, who became interested after watching figure skating on television.[7] She began working with her coach Ans Bocklandt at age 4 in 2011.[8]

2021–22 season: International junior debut

Pinzarrone made her international junior and ISU Junior Grand Prix debuts in August at the 2022 JGP France II, the second of two JGP events hosted in Courchevel, France. She placed fifth in the short program and sixth in the free skate to place sixth overall. At her second JGP assignment, the 2022 JGP Slovenia, Pinzarrone replicated her short program and free skate placements from Courchevel but finished fifth in the overall standings.[9]

Pinzarrone did not compete again until November, when she handily won her second Belgian junior national title. Following her win, between December 2021 and February 2022, she claimed the junior women's titles at the Santa Claus Cup, the Icelab International Cup, and the Dragon Trophy. She finished seventh at the Challenge Cup in March.[9]

In April, Pinzarrone competed at her first World Junior Championship. There, she was seventh in the short program but fell to sixteenth in the free skate after a series of mishaps, ultimately winding up in eleventh overall.[10]

2022–23 season: International senior debut

Pinzarrone was assigned to her first Grand Prix event, the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy, in July.[11] In August, she received a second assignment, replacing South Korean skater Lim Eun-soo at the 2022 Skate Canada International. She later withdrew from both events due to a hip injury, subsequently revealed to be a double stress fracture.[12][13]

After recovering, Pinzarrone won the silver medal at the Latvia Trophy.[9] Having acquired senior technical minimums, she was assigned to compete at the European Championships for the first time, alongside longtime Belgian national champion Loena Hendrickx. Her coach stated that her primary objectives for the event were to achieve the minimum scores to take Belgium's second berth at the World Championships later in the season.[14] Pinzarrone underrotated the second part of her jump combination in the short program, but she still finished sixth in the segment.[15] She rose to fifth place after the free skate.[16] She had the second-best technical score in the free skate.[5]

Due to Hendrickx's placement at the previous year's World Championships, Belgium had three berths in the women's event in Saitama. Pinzarrone, Hendrickx and national silver medalist Jade Hovine all had the minimum scores necessary to attend, comprising the largest Belgian women's delegation in the event's history.[17] Pinzarrone finished eleventh.[18]

2023–24 season: Grand Prix medals and European bronze

Beginning the season at the 2023 CS Lombardia Trophy, Pinzarrone finished ninth.[9] Speaking of this event later, she would opine: "At Lombardia I really wasn't myself."[19] She was also invited to attend the Shanghai Trophy, coming fourth of six skaters.[9] She called the latter invitation "an amazing experience."[20]

Making her Grand Prix debut following the previous year's withdrawals, Pinzarrone appeared first at the 2023 Grand Prix de France, where she finished fourth in the short program with a new personal best 65.74 points, only 0.99 points back of second-place Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia.[21] She set another new personal best in the free skate (133.06) and rose to second overall. Her silver medal made her only the second Belgian woman to medal on the Grand Prix, after Hendrickx. Of the feat, she said: "It doesn’t feel real."[19] The week before her second Grand Prix assignment, she appeared at her first senior Belgian championships. With Loena Hendrickx withdrawing due to illness, Pinzarrone won her first national title by more than forty points.[22] At the 2023 NHK Trophy, Pinzarrone placed second in both segments, but third overall, winning the bronze medal and qualifying to the Grand Prix Final for the first time. She said she had not considered this result a possibility at the start of the season, and she added that it was "so cool" that both she and Hendrickx had qualified, the first time two Belgian women had done so.[23] Pinzarrone went on to finish fourth at the Final.[24]

Pinzarrone entered the 2024 European Championships as a podium favourite after her results in the first half of the season. She finished second in the short program with a personal best 69.70 points, less than a point ahead of third-place Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia, the defending champion. In the free skate, four of her jumps were deemed a quarter underrotated. She was third in that segment and placed third overall behind Hendrickx and Gubanova.[25] With her bronze medal alongside Hendrickx's gold, Belgium had two women on the European podium for the first time, with Pinzarrone also only the second woman (after Hendrickx) to make the European podium.[26]

In the lead-up to the 2024 World Championships in Montreal, Pinzarrone was plagued with nosebleeds that hindered her training and performance. In advance of the free program, she had her nose cauterized without anesthesia and skated with a cotton ball in her nostril. She finished fifteenth and said afterward: "It is difficult to skate at full speed for 4 minutes anyway and that was even more difficult now. I did my best until the end and I think I did well in my circumstances."[27]

2024–25 season: Second consecutive European bronze medal

Pinzarrone started the season by competing on the 2024–25 Grand Prix series. She finished fourth at 2024 Skate America.[9][28] Shortly following the event, Eric Christian von Fricken, who composed one of the pieces of music that Pinzarrone used for her free program, took to social media accounts to praise her performance.[29] Going on to compete at the 2024 Grand Prix de France, Pinzarrone would finish the event in sixth place.[9]

Pinzarrone then competed on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, winning gold at the 2024 CS Tallinn Trophy and silver at the 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.[9] She won her second consecutive Belgian national title in January, though unusually, she did not compete at the main event, as it was held only ten days before the 2025 European Championships; the Belgian federation gave its top women's skaters the additional opportunity to compete at the Golden Spin instead and count their scores from that competition.[6][30]

At the end of January, Pinzarrone competed at the European Championships. She earned a season's best in the short program despite receiving an under-rotation call on her triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination and placed fourth, with two points separating her from the skaters in the top three. Pinzarrone expressed disappointment afterward and said that she was having issues with her boots that were causing inflammation in her foot. She placed third in the free skate after receiving under-rotation and quarter rotation calls on six of her jumps, and she moved up into third place overall to win her second consecutive European bronze medal. Pinzarrone said that she wanted to work on her jump rotation ahead of the 2025 World Championships but that she was "thrilled" to have won bronze.[31]

Ahead of the World Championships at the end of March, Pinzarrone continued to be bothered by inflammation and pain in her right ankle, for which she received treatment.[32] At the World Championships, she placed eighth in the short program and seventh in the free skate, finishing seventh place overall.[33] With this placement, Pinzarrone earned two berths for Belgian women singles skaters to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.[34][35][36] She said that she was satisfied with her performance, especially as she struggled to remember her choreography during the beginning of the program due to the loud crowd, and that she was happy that Hendrickx could join her at the Olympics.[37][38]

In early May, Pinzarrone fractured a foot during training and had to take time off to recover. Her coach speculated that her foot may have been weakened after her issues earlier in the season with inflammation.[39]

2025–26 season: Injury and comeback; Milano Cortina Olympics and World bronze medal

Although Pinzarrone was initially assigned to compete at 2025 Skate Canada International and 2025 NHK Trophy, she ultimately withdrew from both events due to multiple injuries and surgery.[40]

In late November, she returned to competition at the 2026 Belgian Championships, winning the national title for a third time. A couple weeks later, Pinzarrone finished seventh at the 2025 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.[34]

In January, Pinzarrone placed second in the short program at the 2026 European Championships, then dropped to fourth after the free skate. Pinzarrone expressed disappointment over her result, but said, "I'm still going home with a good placement. My confidence is coming back more and more. I know I need to practice more." Regarding the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics, she said: "I don't really know what to expect, but I'm so excited about it! Maybe it's my only chance in my career—I mean, I hope not—but I will do my very best for this event."[41]

On 17 February, Pinzarrone competed in the short program segment at the 2026 Winter Olympics, placing eleventh.[34] "I was so happy at the end of my performance," she said after her short program. "I think everyone could see it. I really wanted to enjoy the moment. Skating in this stadium was something very special, and seeing the Olympic rings made it even more special."[42] Two days later, she placed fourteenth in the free skate segment and finished thirteenth overall.[34] "I'm super relieved and just super happy that I could put out a performance like that with all the nerves going on backstage," she remarked following her free skate performance. "I was really scared I wouldn't be able to enjoy it, but I really enjoyed every moment. I fought until the end. Even though I was almost falling, I kept battling inside to pick up all the points possible. I scored overall 15 points higher than at Europeans, so that's already a big step forward. I just want to do more. I know I can do better, but considering everything behind it, I can be pleased with my performance."[43]

Pinzarrone earned her first World podium finish during the 2026 World Champhionships in Prague. After placing fifth in the short program, she finished third place after the free skate, winning a bronze medal. She achieved all new personal best scores in her fourth appearance at this event.[44] “If you had told me a few months ago that I would be here right now, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Pinzarrone. “It was so hard at times. I didn’t even know if I would be able to go to Europeans, the Olympics, and Worlds. Only in the last two months I could really train without pain, and those two months pushed me to where I am now.”[45]

Programs

SeasonShort programFree skatingExhibition
2025–2026
[46][47]
  • Interstellar
    • Beautiful Memories
      by Max P. Gómez
    • Interstellar (Main Theme Piano)
      performed by Gacabe & Jecabe
    • Interstellar (Main Theme)
    • Message from Home
    • No Time for Caution
      by Hans Zimmer
      choreo. by Benoît Richaud
2024–2025
[48]
2023–2024
[49]
2022–2023
[50]
2021–2022
[51]

Competitive highlights

*GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series

Detailed results

*Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships.

References

  1. ^ Claeys, Jan (January 30, 2023). "Nina Pinzarrone (16) verovert met vijfde plek de harten op het EK kunstschaatsen: "Hier werkt ze al sinds haar derde voor"". Gazet van Antwerpen. Archived March 12, 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ Schoonjans, Tim (December 7, 2016). "Zusjes Pinzarrone blijven de schaatswereld verbazen". BRUZZ. Archived March 12, 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ Schoonjans, Tim (July 12, 2016). "Zusjes Pinzarrone blijven de schaatswereld verbazen" [Sisters Pinzarrone continue to amaze the skating world] (in Dutch). Bruzz
  4. ^ Hauspie, Jan (2024-01-13). "Nina Pinzarrone pakt brons op EK kunstschaatsen: ‘Eigenlijk ben ik vrij bang. Een looping op een achtbaan? Heb ik nooit gedaan’" [Nina Pinzarrone wins bronze at the European Figure Skating Championships: "Actually, I'm quite scared. A loop-the-loop on a roller coaster? I've never done that."] (in Dutch). Humo. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  5. ^ "16-jarige EK-revelatie Nina Pinzarrone: "Grappig dat mensen plots mijn naam kennen"" [16-year-old European Championship revelation Nina Pinzarrone: "Funny that people suddenly know my name"] (in Dutch). Sporza. February 2, 2023.
  6. ^ ""Artistieke progressie" geeft Nina Pinzarrone vertrouwen richting EK: "Ik moet laten zien dat ik er nog steeds ben"" ["Artistic progression" gives Nina Pinzarrone confidence for European Championships: "I have to show that I'm still here"] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 20 January 2025.
  7. ^ Sterpigny, Sébastien (April 15, 2022). "Nina Pinzarrone : " J'aime cette sensation de liberté quand je patine "" [Nina Pinzarrone: "I like this feeling of freedom when I skate"] (in French). L'Avenir
  8. ^ Beauclercq, Guy (2025-06-11). "Ans Bocklandt, le vrai ange-gardien de Pinzarrone : "Nina est une artiste"" [Ans Bocklandt, the real guardian angel of Pinzarrone: "Nina is an artist"] (in French). DHnet. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  9. ^ "Nina PINZARRONE: Competition Results". International Skating Union. April 19, 2022.
  10. ^ Agence Belga (April 17, 2022). "Mondiaux juniors de patinage artistique – Nina Pinzarrone termine 11e à Tallinn" [Junior World Figure Skating Championships – Nina Pinzarrone finishes 11th in Tallinn] (in French). RTL Group
  11. ^ "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2022/23". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  12. ^ Pinzarrone, Nina (September 6, 2022). "One day so honoured, the next so sad... I am forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix series – both Skate Canada & MK John Wilson – due to injury..."
  13. ^ Dombrowski, Judith (June 12, 2023). "Belgium's Nina Pinzarrone "fearless" moving forward". Golden Skate. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  14. ^ "Maak kennis met 16-jarige kunstschaatsster Nina Pinzarrone: "Ze heeft klasse op het ijs"" [Meet 16-year-old figure skater Nina Pinzarrone: "She has class on the ice"] (in Dutch). Sporza. January 26, 2023.
  15. ^ Slater, Paula (January 26, 2023). "Anastasiia Gubanova leads women at Europeans". Golden Skate
  16. ^ Slater, Paula (January 28, 2023). "Anastasiia Gubanova wins historic gold at 2023 Europeans". Golden Skate
  17. ^ "Loena Hendrickx prijkt op 5e stek na korte kür op WK, Nina Pinzarrone is 14e" [Loena Hendrickx takes 5th place after short program at World Championships, Nina Pinzarrone is 14th] (in Dutch). Sporza. March 22, 2023.
  18. ^ "Sterke Loena Hendrickx knokt zich omhoog naar brons op WK kunstschaatsen, Nina Pinzarrone 11e" [Strong Loena Hendrickx fights her way up to bronze at the World Figure Skating Championships, Nina Pinzarrone 11th] (in Dutch). Sporza. March 24, 2023.
  19. ^ Slater, Paula (November 4, 2023). "Levito secures first Grand Prix title in France". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  20. ^ Pinzarrone, Nina (October 8, 2023). "SHANGHAÏ Trophy 🇨🇳, what an amazing experience! Thank you to the Chinese Figure Skating Federation for the invitation and unforgettable welcome, atmosphere and organization. It was a real honor and I would come back any time 😀". Archived October 10, 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  21. ^ "Isabeau Levito (USA) scales new heights at ISU Grand Prix de France". International Skating Union. November 3, 2023. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  22. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone décroche son premier titre de championne de Belgique en patinage artistique" [Nina Pinzarrone wins her first Belgian championship title in figure skating] (in French). Le Soir. November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  23. ^ Slater, Paula (November 25, 2023). "Ava Marie Ziegler takes surprising win at NHK Trophy". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  24. ^ Slater, Paula (December 10, 2023). "Kaori Sakamoto sublime in Beijing; wins Grand Prix title". Golden Skate. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  25. ^ Slater, Paula (January 13, 2024). "Hendrickx finally clinches gold at Europeans". Golden Skate. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  26. ^ "Goud en brons! Loena Hendrickx en Nina Pinzarrone verzorgen historisch Belgisch feestje op EK kunstschaatsen" [Gold and bronze! Loena Hendrickx and Nina Pinzarrone organize a historic Belgian party at the European Figure Skating Championships] (in Dutch). Sporza. January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  27. ^ "Nieuwe bloedneus hinderde Nina Pinzarrone op WK: "Ik begon te panikeren en te wenen"" [New nosebleed hindered Nina Pinzarrone at the World Cup: "I started to panic and cry"] (in Dutch). Sporza. March 23, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  28. ^ Slater, Paula (October 20, 2024). "Wakaba Higuchi shakes it up in Texas". Golden Skate
  29. ^ Christian von Fricken, Eric. "How incredible to see my Nocturne performed by @pinzarrone_nina at this years Skate America. So inspiring 👏 brava Nina! @benoitrichaud @a.bocklandt". Instagram. Instagram. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  30. ^ "Elle est championne de Belgique... sans avoir participé: le titre surréaliste d'une patineuse belge" [She is the Belgian champion... without having participated: the surreal title of a Belgian skater] (in French). RTL Info. 2025-01-19. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  31. ^ Slater, Paula (2025-01-31). "Niina Petrokina captures first European title on home ice". Golden Skate. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  32. ^ Beauclercq, Guy (2025-06-09). "Patinage artistique : Nina Pinzarrone s'est classée septième au Mondial et s'est ainsi qualifiée pour les JO 2026 !" [Figure Skating: Nina Pinzarrone Placed Seventh at the World Championships, Qualifying for the 2026 Olympics!] (in French). DHnet. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  33. ^ Slater, Paula (March 29, 2025). "Darkhorse Alysa Liu seizes World title in Boston". Golden Skate
  34. ^ "BEL–Nina Pinzarrone". SkatingScores.com
  35. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone 🇧🇪 131.69 / 199.43". Instagram. Golden Skate. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  36. ^ "ENTRIES/PARTICIPATION 2026 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES (OWG) SINGLE & PAIR SKATING AND ICE DANCE". International Skating Union. International Skating Union. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  37. ^ "Stalen zenuwen: Nina Pinzarrone wordt 7e op WK, mag naar Winterspelen en helpt ook Loena Hendrickx een handje" [Nerves of steel: Nina Pinzarrone finishes 7th at World Championships, goes to Winter Games and also lends a helping hand to Loena Hendrickx] (in flemish). sporza. 2025-03-29. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
  38. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone geniet na van knap WK: "Slapen? Ik was 2 uur bezig met alle berichtjes te beantwoorden"" [Nina Pinzarrone enjoys after a great World Cup: "Sleeping? I spent 2 hours answering all the messages"] (in nl-BE). sporza.be. 2025-03-29. Archived April 3, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
  39. ^ ""Het gebeurde tijdens een alledaagse training": trainster van Nina Pinzaronne vertelt over (impact) van "ambetante" blessure" [“It happened during an everyday training”: Nina Pinzaronne's trainer talks about (impact) of “annoying” injury] (in nl-BE). sporza.be. 2025-05-05. Archived May 6, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
  40. ^ "🇧🇪 Nina Pinzarrone has withdrawn from Skate Canada and NHK Trophy". X. Anything GOEs. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  41. ^ Slater, Paula (January 16, 2026). "Estonia’s Niina Petrokina defends European title in Sheffield". Golden Skate
  42. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone 🇧🇪 68.97". X. Golden Skate. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  43. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone 🇧🇪 131.33 / 200.30". X. Golden Skate. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  44. ^ "ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2026: In last skate of glittering career, Sakamoro Kaori delivers personal bests and fourth world title"
  45. ^ Slater, Paula (March 28, 2026). "Kaori Sakamoto caps storied career with fourth World title". Golden Skate
  46. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone: 2025/2026 (1st FP)". International Skating Union. Archived September 5, 2025 at the Wayback Machine.
  47. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone: 2025/2026 (2nd FP)". International Skating Union. Archived November 26, 2025 at the Wayback Machine.
  48. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived November 7, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  49. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived September 10, 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  50. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. August 30, 2022. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  51. ^ "Nina Pinzarrone: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. April 19, 2022. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2025.