Stijn Desmet (born 10 April 1998) is a Belgian

short track speed skater Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of . The rink itself is long by wide, which is the same size as a ...

Biography

Desmet was born in

Duffel Duffel () is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Duffel proper. On 1 January 2020, Duffel had a total population of 17,664. The total area is 22.71 km² which gives a population dens ...

, lives in

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

, and is the younger brother of short track speed skater and Olympic bronze medalist Hanne Desmet. Desmet started short track speed skating at a club in Wilrijk at the age of 10. In 2012, he was scouted by the Belgian short track national team coach

Pieter Gysel Pieter Gysel (born 18 December 1980 in Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Belgium) is a Belgian short track speed skating, short track speed skater. External links

* * 1980 births Living people Belgian male short track speed skaters Olympic short ...

to participate in the Sport Vlaanderen supported project "Be Gold" to train talented youth professionally in

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as its ...

, with the Winter Olympics as the main goal. Desmet is the Belgian record holder in the 500 meters. At the

2016 Winter Youth Olympics The 2016 Winter Youth Olympics ( no, Olympiske vinterleker for ungdom 2016; nn, Olympiske vinterleikane for ungdom 2016), officially known as the II Winter Youth Olympic Games, took place in and around Lillehammer, Norway, between 12 February an ...

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...

, Norway, he won a gold medal in the mixed relay event in an international team, alongside Desmet consisting of Quentin Fercoq (France), Ane Farstad (Norway) and

Kim Ji-yoo Kim ji-yoo (born 14 July 1999) is a South Korean short track speed skater. She participated at the 2019 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships The 2019 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships were held in Sofia, Bulgaria from 8 to ...

(South Korea). At the

2020 European Short Track Speed Skating Championships The 2020 European Short Track Speed Skating Championships were held from 24 to 26 January 2020 at the Főnix Hall in Debrecen, Hungary. Medal summary Medal table Men's events Women's events References External linksOfficial websiteResults< ...

, Desmet finished 2nd in the closing super final, making him 5th in the final standings. At the

2021 European Short Track Speed Skating Championships The 2021 European Short Track Speed Skating Championships were held from 22 to 24 January 2021 in Gdańsk, Poland. Due to fears around the COVID-19 pandemic seven time European champion Arianna Fontana will not take part. Neither will two time ...

, he was 12th in the final standings, and at the World Cup that year, Desmet finished in 9th place. At the

Short track speed skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics Short track speed skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. The events are scheduled to take place between 5 and 16 February 2022. A total of nine short track speed skating even ...

in Beijing, Desmet was eliminated in the heats of the

1000 metres The 1000 metres is an uncommon middle-distance running event in track and field competitions. The 1000 yards, an imperial alternative, was sometimes also contested. All-time top 25 *h = hand timed *i = indoor performance *A = affected by ...

due to a penalty, ended 13th in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

and was eliminated in the Quarterfinals of the

500 metres The 500 metres is a rarely run middle-distance running event in track and field competitions. All-time top 25 *i = indoor performance *OT = oversized track (exceeding 200m in circumference) *A = affected by altitude *h = hand timing Men *C ...

. In April 2022, at the

2022 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships The 2022 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships were the 46th edition, held from April 8 to 10, 2022 at Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, Canada. World Short Track Speed Skating Championships have been contested since 1976. Due to the Co ...

in Montreal, he won two bronze medals in one day, the 500 metres and the 1500 metres.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Desmet, Stijn 1998 births Living people People from Duffel Belgian male short track speed skaters Olympic short track speed skaters for Belgium Short track speed skaters at the 2022 Winter Olympics Short track speed skaters at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics World Short Track Speed Skating Championships medalists Sportspeople from Antwerp Province 21st-century Belgian people