Loena Hendrickx: “I’m still very proud of my small gold medal after the short program – because I wasn’t sure to the last that I would come to Montreal at all.”
Translation of Loena Hendrickx’s comments after her performance at the 2024 World Championships.
original source: sports.ru by Maya Bagriantseva
Loena Hendrickx is proud of herself despite not winning a medal at the 2024 World Championship. The Belgian led after the short program but showed the 8th result in the free skate (123.27 points). In the final overall, Hendrickx took 4th place (200.25).
“Of course, today’s skate is not what I expected from this evening. I lacked physical form and confidence. If I were well prepared, if I were skating the free program every day, I would have a chance for a medal. For gold – no, I understood that it was unrealistic. After the European Championships, I didn’t do a single full free skate – first I recovered after the competition, and then had an injury.
Being first after the short program in such a big event is a new experience for me, I probably couldn’t handle this pressure. I need to work on confidence, I always get too nervous before skates.
But I’m still very proud of my small gold medal after the short program – because I wasn’t sure to the last that I would come to Montreal at all. So I don’t feel disappointment, in any other situation I would have been crying long ago, but not today. Yes, this time I’m fourth, but that’s life, we all make mistakes, this is also an experience.
The day before yesterday, the commentator in the broadcast said that on my first junior Grand Prix stage I was 16th, and who would have said then that after many years I would be able to win medals at such major competitions. I would like young skaters to remember that success isn’t necessarily quick, you just shouldn’t give up.
I admire Kaori Sakamoto – she is very consistent, there is so much confidence in her, I lack that so much. I need to learn to believe in myself,” Hendricks said in a conversation with sports.ru correspondent Maya Bagriantseva.
Related topics: Loena Hendrickx, world championship
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