Loena Hendrickx

Hendrickx began learning to skate in 2004.[1] She appeared internationally on the advanced novice level from December 2012 through December 2013 and then moved up to the junior ranks.[4]

Coached by Carine Herrygers in Turnhout,[5] Hendrickx debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing seventeenth in Dresden, Germany. She went on to win her second junior national title and then placed sixteenth at the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival. She closed her season with junior bronze medals at the International Challenge Cup and Coupe du Printemps.

Competing in the 2015–16 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, Hendrickx placed fourteenth in Riga, Latvia, and then eleventh in Logroño, Spain. Her senior international debut came in October 2015 at the International Cup of Nice; she finished seventh at the event. She missed the second half of the season due to a spinal fracture and resumed skating after six months.[6]

After the closure of Turnhout's ice rink, Hendrickx and her brother decided to train at a temporary rink.[6] Although still age-eligible to compete on the junior level, she focused on senior events. Starting her season on the ISU Challenger Series, she placed seventh at both the 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy and 2016 CS Finlandia Trophy. In October 2016, she won her first senior international medal – silver at the International Cup of Nice.[7] In November, she was awarded silver at the NRW Trophy and gold at the Belgian Championships.[8] A lack of financial support led to her having to decline an invitation to an international event in Russia.[9]

In January 2017, Hendrickx competed at her first ISU Championship – the European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic. She suffered from foot pain during the event, but nevertheless placed eleventh in the short program and advanced to the free skate, in which she ranked seventh, resulting in a final placement of seventh.[9]

In February 2017, Hendrickx won gold at the International Challenge Cup in The Hague, Netherlands. In March, she placed seventeenth in the short, fourteenth in the free, and fifteenth overall at the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Due to her result, Belgium qualified a spot in the ladies' event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Subsequent to this, she received some financial reimbursement from the Belgian figure skating federation for her expenses, having previously financed her career entirely by herself.[10]

A knee injury forced Hendrickx to withdraw from three events early in the season.[11] In December, she repeated as Belgian national champion. In January, she placed fifth at the 2018 European Championships in Moscow, Russia. The following month, she represented Belgium at the 2018 Winter Olympics, where she and her brother Jorik were the only siblings competing in the singles skating events. The journey to Pyeongchang, South Korea, was the longest Hendrickx had ever traveled before, and the first time their mother had attended a major international event to watch them compete in person.[10] She placed sixteenth overall.[12]

At the 2018 World Championships in Milan, Italy, Hendrickx set new personal bests in both segments to finish in ninth place. Her result qualified Belgium to send two skaters to compete at the 2019 World Championships.

Hendrickx began her season at the 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, winning the bronze medal, her first Challenger medal. She achieved her goal of landing a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination cleanly in both her short and free programs.[13]

Her placement at the 2018 World Championships qualified her for two assignments on the 2018-19 Grand Prix. Making her first visit to the United States for 2018 Skate America, Hendrickx scored 54.13 in the short program, but withdrew before the free skate due to medical reasons.[13][14] She placed fifth at the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki, her second event.

Hendrickx withdrew from the European Championships due to a back injury but was ready to compete at the World Championships in Saitama, where she placed twelfth. She had decided to attend the World Championships only a week prior.[15]

She withdrew from all her events in the 2019–2020 season due to injury. She was slated to make her return to competition at the 2020 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. She was added to the roster after the withdrawal of another skater, but withdrew prior to the start of the competition. Hendrickx started her 2020-21 season at the inaugural CS Budapest Trophy, achieving a new personal best in the short program and winning the gold medal overall. She was scheduled to compete on the Grand Prix at the 2020 Internationaux de France, but the event was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]