Denis Krouglov aims to continue Belgium’s rise in figure skating

Krouglov looks to follow Belgium’s skating legacy

Denis Krouglov is aiming to become Belgium’s next top skater as the country continues its rise in figure skating. Belgium might be a small country in Western Europe, but it has emerged as a growing force in the sport.

Kevin van der Perren was the first Belgian man in 50 years to win a European Championships medal when he claimed bronze in 2007. After him, Loena Hendrickx made history as the first Belgian singles skater to win a World medal (2022) and a European title (2024).

Nina Pinzarrone followed in Hendrickx’s footsteps soon after, collecting two European medals (2024 and 2025) and a World bronze (2026). Now, Krouglov is aiming to pick up the torch.

Steady progress on the junior stage

Krouglov is already gaining momentum. The 16-year-old reached the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final after securing two silver medals on the circuit. He finished fourth in Nagoya and later placed 10th at the 2026 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia—an improvement of 12 places from the previous year.

According to coach Leslie Stewart, Krouglov has made solid progress since last season.

“In previous years, a lot of his development was interrupted by injuries related to his growth, which made consistency difficult,” she explained. “Now that this phase has settled, he has been able to train with much better continuity, and that is making a difference.”

“The biggest improvement has been the ability to put together uninterrupted blocks of work, which is allowing him to build more stability and confidence in both training and competition,” she added. “As a result, we are seeing a much more consistent athlete than we did a season ago.”

(L-R) Seo Minkyu (KOR), Rio Nakata (JPN), Denis Krouglov (BEL) after the Men’s Short Program on December 4, 2025, at the 2025-26 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Aichi, Nagoya, Japan.

A passion sparked by the Olympics

Born in Belgium to parents who emigrated from Russia, Krouglov discovered figure skating while watching the 2014 Olympic Winter Games as a four-year-old.

“I really liked it, so I asked my mom if I could try,” he said. “That’s how it all started.”

However, his first experience on the ice was not entirely convincing.

“I remember being afraid to let go of my mom when I first tried it, and I was skating, holding her hand the whole time,” Krouglov recalled. “But the second time I tried, I decided to let go and didn’t see my mom for the rest of the session.”

Inspired by skating greats

As his passion for the sport grew, Krouglov found inspiration in some of figure skating’s biggest names.

“I like the fact that you can jump and skate at high speed, and do so to music,” the JGP Baku silver medalist said. He especially looks up to Yuzuru Hanyu.

“Growing up, I watched his performances all the time. Before competitions, during training, and so on,” he noted.

He also admires Olympic champions Yuna Kim, Ilia Kulik, and Alexei Yagudin for their technical abilities. Outside of skating, the young athlete is a fan of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Balancing training, school, and music

Krouglov trains six days a week in Mechelen, located north of the capital, Brussels, and halfway to Antwerp.

“I go to school every day, with training normally after school, but sometimes also before,” he shared. “Thanks to the help of my teachers and school, I am able to balance it [skating and school] more easily.”

One of his hobbies is playing the cello, which he has pursued since the age of nine.

“It helps me to connect with the music more, which makes the experience a whole lot different,” he explained.

That connection was evident in his free skate program to the soundtrack of Seven Years in Tibet last season, which features cello music.

Looking ahead and continued development

Following his breakthrough season, Krouglov is looking ahead to what comes next.

“The think what I take the most out of last season is that I just want to keep enjoying skating for the public and showing the best I can,” he said.

His season ended at the World Junior Championships, and the three-time Belgian junior champion has since used the past two months to catch up on school while staying in shape. He will continue training at home until mid-May before attending several training camps over the summer to prepare for the new season, which will include two new programs.

“I want to present two new styles to show other sides of me,” the skater shared. He will continue working with the same choreographers as last season, with Romain Gazave creating the short program and Tom Dickson responsible for the free skating.

“For the Short Program, I can tell you I will combine two things I love most,” Krouglov revealed, while keeping his music choices under wraps.

Gazave, who has worked with the skater for the past three years, sees constant improvement in his artistic and technical skills.

“During the season 2025-2026, he finally started to be able to show in competition what he can do,” said Gazave. “I’m already very proud of him. I am sure that this is just the beginning and I have no doubt that Denis will be able to become a top world level senior competitor in the years to come. He is a hard worker and passionate about figure skating. Also, he is very respectful to his training team, teammates and competitors. In this sense, he is a real ambassador of sport values.”

Technical goals and future ambitions

The Junior Grand Prix Finalist has also been working on quadruple jumps, including the Salchow, toe loop, and loop, with the Salchow showing the most promise so far. However, he has recently had limited time to train quads due to school commitments, choreography, and recovery from minor injuries. Still, he hopes to have at least one quad ready for next season.

Krouglov will turn 17 in October and is not yet senior-age eligible unless the upcoming ISU Congress in June changes the age requirements, so his focus remains on the ISU Junior Grand Prix.

“My main goal for next season is to do better than this season,” he pointed out.

The teenager hopes to continue Belgium’s recent success in the sport.

“Figure skating is not a well-known sport here, but because of the success of Kevin, Loena and Nina, we see that people are starting to get into it. There are more recreational skaters in clubs and overall more attention in the media as well,” he concluded.

Related info:

• • ISU Bio
  • GS Fan Fest

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