Loena Hendrickx on finding love for skating again amid a third Olympic cycle – and why Sakamoto Kaori is her ‘inspiration’

Only six months separate Loena Hendrickx, the 24-year-old Belgian, and two-time and reigning world champion Sakamoto Kaori, who is 23.

Both two-time Olympians, the Japanese star has morphed into the standard-bearer in women’s figure skating since she won bronze at Beijing 2022, but Hendrickx, with a pair of world medals herself, isn’t far behind.

“I really like that I’m competing with Kaori because we are the same age, kind of the same level,” Hendrickx told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview last month after she won her second career Grand Prix at Skate America.

“I'm really looking up to her because she is my inspiration and it's an amazing feeling to share all the competitions together. I know it's hard for her as well, training every day, being at the best level as we can.

“I wish I could understand her more because she’s so funny,” Hendrickx added, laughing about their lack of shared language.

But what the two mid-20-somethings have shared is an ushering in of a new era of skating with the sort of artistry, ice coverage and technique that many in the sport today connect back with its heyday in the 1990s.

They’re also both well into a third Olympic cycle, with Milano Cortina 2026 shining in the distance.

“I think we are good in different things: She's much stronger technically, but also she's a real fast skater,” Hendrickx said of the differences between her and Sakamoto.

She then added, with a laugh: “I think if we combine the two of us, it will be the best result ever. But I think we both have our strengths we bring to the ice.”

Loena Hendrickx: 'Every year it's harder'

In skating, age and experience can count for a lot, but Hendrickx said this combo can also take its toll. This is a sport that is not easy on the body - whatsoever.

“When I was young, everything went so easy and you don't think about messing up or things like that,” Hendrickx said. “But when you're getting older, it's just so much harder mentally, but also physically. All the pains you have because of all the trainings you're doing, every year I feel that it's just harder and harder.”

She continued: “It's also why I really admire older skaters because I know now for myself that it's just so hard to get back in shape, to train every day, to get your body healthy, keep it healthy.”

The last two years Hendrickx has worked with her brother, two-time Olympic figure skater Jorik Hendrickx, as her coach – and has also recruited a mental coach as she’s gone from barely competing in Grand Prix events to... winning them.

“I felt more and more pressure,” Hendrickx said, highlighting that she won her first medal at a Grand Prix just two years ago, at the Gran Premio d'Italia.

“We really worked on my mental health going to Worlds last season (2023)", Hendrickx said. “It helped me. I could skate again, with joy, and I was free on the ice and it was an amazing feeling. That's why I wanted to skate this season as well, with more joy and no expectations and just feeling free on the ice.”

Success has been double-edged for Hendrickx

After an eighth-place finish at Beijing 2022 (she was 16th at PyeongChang 2018), Hendrickx soared to the silver medal at Worlds to close out 2022 - a triumph that subsequently also added to the mental strain she felt she was facing on the ice.

“Last season was a hard season for me,” Hendrickx admitted. “I wanted to prove myself and that all [took] over my joy... I felt too much pressure. I felt like too many people were expecting clean programs all the time But we’re all human, sometimes it’s not your day. And it was hard for me to handle in the beginning mentally.”

It was hard to see that strain in her results: Hendrickx won her first Grand Prix gold in France, then was third in her debut at the Grand Prix Final in December. But when she went to the European championships as the favourite for gold, the pressure got to her.

Hendrickx barely held on for the silver medal.

It was time for action: Hendrickx felt her pressure cooker had been building since November 2021 and was about to explode.

Cue the mental coach, who she says helped remind her of the joy in the sport and why she fell in love with it in the first place – training included.

“I love doing what I do,” the skater said. “I just forgot it for a moment. And now it's back and it's just an amazing feeling.”

'Never give up and just love what you do'

Hendrickx feels the motivation to not only keep going, but to aim for the coming Winter Games in 2026. She is most excited that family and friends from across Europe will hopefully be there to watch.

“I want to be there and perform the best I ever can," she said.

Hendrickx wants to be clear about one thing: The hard work never stops, even as you get older...especially as you get older.

“I think a lot of people don't know how many hours you put in training, making programs, [executing] them clean in competition,” Hendrickx explained. “Sometimes it looks so easy, but all the hard work behind it, it's just a lot of work. There are times I’ve been crying. I’ve been frustrated. I was like, ‘I just want to skate'.

“But I never gave up,” she continued, turning her attention to the win at Skate America. “And that's what makes this competition so much more special for me. To win this competition is a reminder: Never give up and just do what you love.”