The Loena Hendrickx appreciation thread

AngieNikodinovLove

Frangi & Piazza & Paul & Hektor & Theo. Oh My! 😝
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12,671
Love her, love her, love her!!!

She should finally have a thread of her own!

I have been waiting years!!! Years I tell ya! What a fabulous free skate. I haven’t even checked protocols yet - did she finish third in the free skate?

I always get nervous when they put both hands over their head in the jumps like Amber used to and Hannah Harrell and she landed all those jumps in that position.

And her spins are delicious. I’m so thrilled for her. I was hoping for a top six finish after what I saw in the Netherlands two weeks ago. And it happened and more!

So happy for her and also Jorik!!
 

Sylvia

TBD
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79,976
Loena's happy message after Worlds :): https://www.instagram.com/p/CM-Nu8PJqLE/
After so many setbacks, never giving up and working my ass off to come back! That’s what I showed last week and I’m so damn proud of my achievement. The love for figure skating is simply enormous! Believe in yourself and make it happen. It may be difficult now but if the love is big enough you can achieve anything. Go chase your dreams ✨💕
Overwhelmed by the massive number of messages I got, thank you all for the support, it means a lot! 🥺
I've been a longtime fan of Loena's and tweeted this feature on her before Worlds:

Interview with Loena after she won Challenge Cup in The Hague last month:

Article after her triumphant return home :) (her 6-min. TV interview is embedded, along with her brother Jorik's):
Google translated excerpts:
A few days after her 5th place at the world championships, Loena Hendrickx is back in circles on the ice. Next year's Winter Games in Beijing are her next goal. "An Olympic medal is a childhood dream, but let me stay injury-free first and foremost," asks the 21-year-old figure skater.
A few days after her 5th place at the world championship, Loena Hendrickx is still shining. We meet her on the outdoor track just across the border in Eindhoven.
"Given the circumstances, this is the best place for me to train at the moment", Hendrickx explains. "Normally after a championship there is a rest period, but now I wanted to feel the ice for a while."
"Loena has a lot of potential", adds her brother and coach Jorik Hendrickx.
"At the World Cup she skated on a world level, but we stay on the ice with 2 skates", he winks.
The coach is not yet thinking of an Olympic medal. "Loena was 5th at the World Cup, but you are also dependent on other participants. I think a top 8 at the Games is realistic. And I prefer to remain realistic."
"If Loena skates flawlessly again, we'll see", concludes Jorik Hendrickx, who himself was on the Olympic ice twice. He placed 16th in 2014 and 14th in 2018.
 

all_empty

Well-Known Member
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Loena is a prime example of a skater who has put in the work (kinda like Rochette several years back).

A few years ago I wasn't sure she'd break through as she didn't have a full and reliable set of triples, but now they're big and consistent.

Her performances and placement pleasantly surprised me here.

I don't know if she can medal at Europeans given the strength of the Russian ladies, but I can see her medaling on a GP and some other competitions.
 

Colonel Green

Well-Known Member
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13,930
Loena is a prime example of a skater who has put in the work (kinda like Rochette several years back).

A few years ago I wasn't sure she'd break through as she didn't have a full and reliable set of triples, but now they're big and consistent.

Her performances and placement pleasantly surprised me here.

I don't know if she can medal at Europeans given the strength of the Russian ladies, but I can see her medaling on a GP and some other competitions.
The lack of a triple loop is her biggest problem as far as aiming for the big medals goes, I think. The judges like her enough that if she had that extra triple in the free she’d be closer to the regular range where you can take advantage of the ultra-C skaters messing up a bit.
 

olympic

Well-Known Member
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10,892
Loena is a prime example of a skater who has put in the work (kinda like Rochette several years back).

A few years ago I wasn't sure she'd break through as she didn't have a full and reliable set of triples, but now they're big and consistent.

Her performances and placement pleasantly surprised me here.

I don't know if she can medal at Europeans given the strength of the Russian ladies, but I can see her medaling on a GP and some other competitions.
Frankly, there are only a couple of Russian ladies I would put in front of Hendrickx
 

AngieNikodinovLove

Frangi & Piazza & Paul & Hektor & Theo. Oh My! 😝
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ISU: In The Spotlight - Loena Hendrickx


Really gets you up to speed on Loena's journey!!
 

Sylvia

TBD
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79,976
Thanks. I also posted the link to her ISU feature article in the OES News thread in GSD :):
Direct link to watch her interview video that was uploaded on July 9 to the Skating ISU YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPbMADwiRwk

Hendrickx's 2 Grand Prix assignments are Cup of China [#3] & Rostelecom Cup [#6]
She is training with the "Bootcamp on Ice" group in Mechelen, Belgium now (Slovenia's Daša Grm is also there): https://www.instagram.com/p/CRA8QtVrou0/
 

AngieNikodinovLove

Frangi & Piazza & Paul & Hektor & Theo. Oh My! 😝
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12,671
Bump up for Loena. What a strong and beautiful short program today in Italy. And on her 22nd birthday!!!

Such strong technique and great artistry. She is my favorite skater whose name doesn’t start with Amber

And she is my wild card pick to upset an Olympic Russian sweep

❤️❤️
 

Sylvia

TBD
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79,976
Tweeted by a Belgian sport journalist after Loena became the first Belgian female figure skater to ever medal at a Grand Prix :): https://twitter.com/jonas_creteur/status/1457255353964548096
"I can be proud that I reach this level, as a figure skater from a small country", thus @LoenaHendrickx
Last to medal at a Grand Prix that did NOT come from the USA, Canada, Russia, Japan, South Korea or Italy?
Kiira Korpi from Finland gold & bronze in 2012/13! (dominated by major nations only).

Also 1st Belgian with a medal at a GP since Kevin van der Perren silver medal conquered in Skate America 2011, 10 years ago!
Russian interview by Ekaterina Efimova on Loena's 22nd birthday (Nov. 5) in Torino:

English translation here: https://fs-gossips.com/loena-hendri...d-by-this-age-you-become-a-woman-not-a-child/
Excerpts:
You missed a lot of time due to injury. Was the return difficult?
Loena Hendrickx: It was really difficult, because the injury was not one, it was immediately followed by another. In total, I could not perform for more than a year. This time was very difficult. I realized that I adore figure skating and cannot imagine my life without it. I realized that I want to return, because this is my love and I want to perform and perform. I’m so proud of myself that I managed to overcome all this and now I am here.
When I was 16, my triple jumps were so-so. But I started skating very late, we do not have conditions in Belgium to train competently at the top level, it is difficult to combine school and training. Therefore, I had to move to the Netherlands to a sports school, where I could train more. So Liza Tuktamysheva and, of course, Carolina Kostner are my role models. Especially Koster, it was amazing to have such a long career in figure skating, it is admirable. She is European, she has great gliding. Carolina never gave up and in general is an example of longevity in figure skating. She always followed her dream and enjoyed it.
Typically, figure skaters reach their peak at 15-16 years old. Your results get better and better with age. Can you explain this?
Loena Hendrickx: I don’t know, I started training late, until I was 13 I trained only once a day and, of course, it affected. After moving to the Netherlands, I had 2-3 workouts a day. I am glad that I have my older brother, he has always been an example for me, I saw how he works and how hard it is for him to achieve his goals, but how cool it is when he succeeds. Going to the [2018] Olympic Games together was amazing!
 

ЭPiKUilyam

Banned Member
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1,333
Thank you Sylvia for posting this article. I am really impressed with her skating. In fact, as far as SKATING goes this past week at Italy I thought the best skaters were Eunsoon Lim and Loena. I think Loena and Anastasiya Gubanova are about equal in terms of skills and presentation. It will be fun to see them compete against each other in Europeans for the title of "Best Non-Russian European"!
 

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