Sport: | Short track speed skating |
Hanne Desmet | |
Nationality: | Belgian |
Birth Date: | 26 October 1996 |
Birth Place: | Wilrijk, Belgium |
Country: | Belgium |
Hanne Desmet (born 26 October 1996) is a Belgian short track speed skater.
Desmet was born in Wilrijk, lives in Mechelen, and is the older sister of short track speed skater Stijn Desmet. When Stijn was scouted by Pieter Gysel, Desmet started short track speed herself.[1]
Desmet is a three-time Belgian all-round champion, and in 2018, she became this by winning all individual distances. Moreover, she holds the Belgian records for all distances.[2] At the 2019 European Championships, she took second place in the unofficial 3000m distance.
Desmet took silver in the 1000 meters at the 2021 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships. On 11 February 2022, Desmet took a historic bronze medal in the Women's 1000 metres at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, becoming the first Belgian woman to win a medal at a Winter Olympic Games in an individual event.[3]