Katrien Pauwels

Katrien Pauwels (born 8 November 1965) is a Belgian former competitive figure skater. Pauwels represented Belgium at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics, and she was Belgium's flag bearer in 1988. She was a nine-time Belgian champion.

Early life Pauwels was born in Ghent and grew up in Mariakerke. Her mother was a fan of figure skating, and Pauwels watched competitions on television with her, which led her to begin skating herself.

Pauwels had three brothers. All three had Duchenne muscular dystrophy and were cared for in the 1970s at a hospital in Oostduinkerke, where she often visited them, before they died. Both her parents also died soon afterward.

Career Pauwels won the Belgian Figure Skating Championships nine times; she won her first national title at 11 years old.

In 1982, Pauwels competed for the first time at both the European Championships, where she placed 21st, and the World Championships, where she finished 30th. That season, she had her best placement (14th) at the World Championships. She placed 17th.