Loena Hendrickx: “In the summer, I really thought I wouldn’t reach my level again. I have trained so hard, I have been so tired… To stand here as a champion, I’m super happy.”
Translation of Loena Hendrickx’s comments about winning European Championships.
original source: sporza.be dd. 13th January 2024
Here’s a translation of Loena Hendrickx’s comments made for Sporza about winning European Championships.
“I am really overjoyed; this means a lot to me. The pressure was there, the stress was there, and I wanted to do well for myself. I have worked incredibly hard and looked forward to this moment. To then realize my dream is just truly beautiful. It’s the hard work being rewarded once again. I do it with love and joy, and when that is rewarded, it’s an incredibly nice feeling. I have trained so hard, I have been so tired… to stand here as a champion, I am super happy.”
Loena’s path to this gold wasn’t easy, “I certainly had difficult moments this summer. I really thought I wouldn’t reach my level again,” she shared. “The motivation was greater, but it didn’t work. I trained harder, my warm-up took longer, I did more jumps, but it didn’t come together. I’m glad I’m persistent and that I did everything to come back.”
“I want to mention one very important person. I heard the news after the short program that someone with whom my brother and I trained a lot in the past has passed away. I would like to dedicate the title to her,” added Hendrickx.
She also spoke about the lack of facilities for figure skaters in Belgium, expressing her hopes for this to be improved. “I hope they will invest more in ice rinks in Belgium. If you see it now, I think there are many more possibilities.”
As for success of another Belgium skater, Nina Pinzarrone who won bronze at the Europeans, Loena said, “That is certainly impressive. I am just super proud to be on the podium with 2 Belgians.”
Related topics: European Championships, Loena Hendrickx
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