At the ISU Grand Prix Final in Beijing this December, Loena Hendrickx, the 2022 World silver medalist and 2023 World bronze medalist, as well as a five-time Belgian champion, took second place with a total score of 203.36 points. In an interview with Blossom on Ice, she opened up about her performance, the challenges she faced leading up to the competition, the rise of figure skating in Belgium, and why the triple loop remains her toughest jump.
Loena, let’s start with your performance in the final. How do you feel about how things went?
Honestly, I’m not happy with it. Right from the start of the free skate, everything felt off. When I went into the lutz, I totally blanked on the steps. I tried to focus on the jump itself, and luckily, I pulled it off okay. But then, during the choreo sequence, I forgot the steps again. It was like I had a total blackout—I can’t even explain it. After the Grand Prix stage in China, I got sick, and my preparation was a mess. I lost weight, I lost muscle mass, and it was hard to get back in shape in just two weeks. I wasn’t anywhere near my best here, but I’m hoping to get back to full strength before Europeans. If I can skate clean programs in practice, I think I’ll feel more confident.
Despite all that, your short program was nearly clean.
Yeah, the short program is easier to handle when you’re not in top shape, but for the free skate, you really need better preparation and more run-throughs in training. Before the short here, I wasn’t too nervous—I felt calm and just excited to get on the ice. From the first second, I was enjoying myself, and I think you could see that on my face (laughs).
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