Loena Hendrickx will soon start as a leader in the free freestyle at the Figure Skating World Championships. Sporza spoke with the Belgian skating star on the eve of the World Cup denouement. “I didn’t sleep much after the short freestyle,” she admitted.
The time difference with Montreal is 5 hours, but many Belgian fans still followed Loena Hendrickx’s short freestyle earlier this week.
“I was really shocked at how many people stayed awake for that. That really surprised me. I also received a lot of messages from people I don’t know,” says Hendrickx after her training on Thursday.
How did she feel after the short freestyle? “I slept very little,” she laughs. “I had difficulty falling asleep and I woke up early in the morning. My body was suffering, but the physiotherapy loosened everything up again.”
During training, Loena Hendrickx said she felt “okay” on the ice. “I was a bit shaky. It’s good that there is another day in between. This way my body has some time to recover and I can hopefully skate a better free freestyle.”
She did not let a small fall during training bother her. “I missed my dismount a bit. During the free freestyle I have to be more focused and trust myself. I expect the best.”
Hendrickx starts the free freestyle with a lead of 3 points. “That may seem like a lot, but if I make one small mistake and the rest remains flawless, then things will quickly change. The favorite remains Kaori Sakamoto. She is really very strong in the free freestyle. When she skates clean, she excels with head and shoulders above.”
2024-03-22 16:24:00
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