This interview is short, we give you that.
But it’s also very meaningful, like one of those bottles carrying a message and floating on the surface of the water until someone finds it in the end.
It is like that with this short talk with choreographer Benoît Richaud at 2026 Europeans in Sheffield, encapsulating the essence when it comes to Belgium’s Nina Pinzarrone, one of his oldest pupils – Benoît has been the choreographer of Nina’s programs ever since her junior years.
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The press conference after the women’s short program in Sheffield, at 2026 Europeans, has just ended, Belgium’s Nina Pinzarrone sits in second place, and she’s now joyfully chatting with her team – coach Ans Bocklandt, choreographer Benoît Richaud – and we’re approaching the team for a photo, and the choreographer for a comment.
After all, Benoît had spent the entire press conference standing tall, standing proud on a platform in the back, facing the skaters at the table – Niina Petrokina in first, Nina Pinzarrone in second, Anna Pezzetta in third – and we want to know how that felt, Nina Pinzarrone’s comeback after injury, 2026 Europeans actually being her first major competition of the season.
Remember: due to injury, Nina had withdrawn from both her Grand Prix events this season and she only returned, a brief appearance, at the Belgian Championships in December (winning the title for the third time) and finished 7th at 2025 Golden Spin of Zagreb, her sole international event before Europeans.
On January 14th, in Sheffield, in the fourth Europeans of her young career (and winning the bronze medal in both 2024 and 2025), the 19-year old Nina Pinzarrone was last to take the ice in the women’s event – at 22:22 local time, the 38th skater of the competition, you read that right – and you know what she did?
She created a moment – some say it was the moment of the night – while skating to “Send in the Clowns”.
“Send in the Clowns”, the song says, and they sent Nina Pinzarrone to make us remember how beautiful skating is. How beautiful Nina’s skating is. From head to toe, to music, to costume, this program is a chef d’oeuvre – we wrote back then, having witnessed the performance live in Utilita Arena Sheffield.
It felt special. It was special.
No wonder we wanted to talk to the choreographer.
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Interview by Florentina Tone / Sheffield
Florentina Tone: How hard was it for you all to keep Nina in competitive mode, with an injury that had her off the ice for so much time?
Benoît Richaud: It was actually very difficult, because, for a long time, we couldn’t find out exactly what was the issue with her foot – until almost the middle of the summer.
Then we understood that she needed to do a surgery, but when she came back, the pain was still there – so it was a very long time, and a lot of questions.
It was very hard also to…, I think, keep her alive in a way, knowing it’s her first season as an Olympian.
We finally found a way, we found what was working, and now she’s good.
That’s her first big competition of the season, which is by itself a very big season…
Yes, the other competition Nina did this season [2025 Golden Spin of Zagreb in December] was just a try, so it wasn’t very successful.
That’s why tonight I said to her: It’s actually amazing what you did!
Top 3 women after the short program in Sheffield, at 2026 Europeans
So many top European women have had their share of problems this season, Niina Petrokina, Kimmy Repond…
Yes, exactly.
So we’re actually seeing their programs here, for the very first time – and I’d like us to talk about Nina’s “Send in the Clowns”, because it really felt special out there. It’s a classic, when it comes to music, but also it feels a different kind of classic.
It’s a classic, yes, but we wanted to do it, of course, our own way – because with Nina we always bring something very personal to her.
I think she really has a special vocabulary of movement, a special way of interacting with the audience, which is, I think, different from any other skater.
And this year’s program was really about, you know, looking in a mirror, looking at who you are and finding your own self. And, in a way, it’s about this fight of accepting who you are…
And we really wanted to find something also with the dress, with having these little vintage vibes, I could say.
We always like to make costumes with her who are very simple, always minimal, but who can talk and give… They can transport you somewhere, I feel they transport you in a different way.
You feel like you are almost watching a movie. And that’s what we wanted.
They’re very cinematic…
That’s what we wanted, and we really tried to work on edges, on purity of skating.
We really wanted to make skating speak for the audience.
She truly created a moment out there, and for many that was the stand-out performance of the night…
Yes, and I was happy, because a few top judges, they came and they said to me: Oh my God, it’s the first time we saw the program and it’s already… Thank God we’re gonna have more time to practice before Olympics, and work, so we can still add to it.
And for the free, because we haven’t seen Nina’s free yet…
The free is the same as last year. Exactly the same.
It was supposed to be a new one, to “Interstellar”, but we decided to go back to the previous free program [to “Escapes Within” from The Handmaid’s Tale and “Nocturne in D-flat Major (Un rêve)” by Eric Christian von Fricken] because…
But you worked on “Interstellar”, you worked on the other free?
Yeah, of course, of course. I do everything, all the programs for Nina, since six seasons.
But we just came back to the free from last year because I think the free from last year was very successful and people appreciated it. And it talked very much to the audience, to the judges.
So we just decided that it was safer to go back, to create also that warm feeling for her to feel more confident.
Nina Pinzarrone skating her long program in Sheffield, a program that feels like a friend – and one that really captures the essence when it comes to her skating
Nina Pinzarrone in January, after her short program at Europeans:
“I’ve been injured for a long time, and my preparation was really not the best, because I was off the ice for a long time. I know I can do better, but I’m just grateful to be here. It’s also just a good feeling to know that, even after a long break, I can still be at the top.
It is a long time since I did such a big competition, and it was really hard to keep being positive and thinking about coming back – but I’m just so proud of every step that we did with the team”.
“In April [2025], we made both a new short and a free program, but then I was injured for 6 months.
I really didn’t have the [new free] program in me. Having to come back with the jumps, getting all the technical difficulty back, it was too hard to be ready mentally with the new program, while also do the jumps and spins”.
Two-time European medalist Nina Pinzarrone would eventually finish the competition in Sheffield on the 4th place, but she’ll channel her disappointment into making sure she’d be ready for her first Olympics.
“I’m disappointed because this morning in training I did everything well, but I don’t think I could expect more because I’m just coming back from injury… Now I’m disappointed, but it’s also a motivation to go back training and I’ll be ready for the Olympics”.
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At the Milano-Cortina Olympics, this February, the first edition of the Olympics she attended, Nina finished the women’s event on the 13th place and shared for Golden Skate:
“I’m super relieved and just super happy that I could put out a performance like that with all the nerves going on backstage. 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”.
“Overall, it was so amazing to live this experience.
Every day was another day, another challenge. I just want to relive this week again next week, but unfortunately, I will have to wait four more years to relive it, hopefully.
I’m happy I still have three days here to enjoy it a little more without any nerves, and just enjoy it with all the other athletes.
It’s the goal to do it again in four years. You really can’t describe how it feels. It’s just a unique experience. Living in a village with all the top athletes in the world is something you can’t explain. It’s something you just dream of”.
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