Loena Hendrickx misses out on a medal after falling in the free freestyle at the Figure Skating World Championships: “When I woke up, the tears came”

The gold went to Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, who also won the two previous years and remained undefeated this entire season. She achieved a total of 222.96 points. American Isabeau Levito finished second with 212.15. Third was South Korea’s Chaeyeon Kim (203.59). Hendrickx’s score was 200.25. The second Belgian, Nina Pinzarrone, finished fifteenth (177.46).

So no Belgian name on the list of women’s world champions, which started 118 years ago in 1906. After the short program the differences were clear. Three points behind Hendrickx, three candidates emerged for the title. Of them, Hendrickx (24) feared Japanese title defender Kaori Sakamoto (23) the most.

Tears before the start

Of course Loena Hendrickx was disappointed. But apparently there was no deep disappointment. “It’s a bit ambiguous,” she started. “I rode the long freestyle less often in training than expected. I had a good night. But when I woke up, the tears came. I immediately called my mental coach.”

Hendrickx was not one hundred percent fit. “I wanted to and had doubts at the same time. The first jump was not right. Then I had to change the freestyle. That is quite a puzzle.”

Fourth place is not good enough, Hendrickx thought. “The European Championship was the goal this season. But also a medal at the World Cup. I had problems with my hip for three weeks. When I flew to Montreal I was still optimistic.”

At the end of the season the body needs rest. But Hendrickx won’t get that for a while. She will soon be leaving for Japan for a number of shows. Television crews from that country were also interested in her in Montreal. She has no idea what she will do next season, in any case new programs are being made.

Pinzarrone

Coach and brother Jorik believed that third place would still have been possible. He does want to increase the resilience of his pupil. “Good preparation and hard training is the best basis for good performance.”

Sakamoto distinguished himself on Friday with a dazzling performance: convincing jumps, although there was something to be said about the pirouettes and steps. Hendrickx’s were better. But with the fall and triples turning into doubles, Hendrickx was no match. First there was the combination of lutz and toeloop, a double axel and triple flip. Then came the fall.

Pinzarrone fell in the first jump of a combination. After that things didn’t go well anymore. The prospect of a place in the top ten, realistic after the short program, had disappeared. Shortly before she arrived, Pinzarrone had been treated for a bleeding nose. Things couldn’t go well under these circumstances.

Sakamoto’s championship fits wonderfully into the strategy of the International Skating Union (ISU). The union doesn’t like it when a new teenager steps onto the top step of the podium every year. The idea is that personalities should support figure skating. And marketing reasons are just as important as medical ones.