Ankle injury prevents skater Loena Hendrickx from defending European title
Loena Hendrickx will not be able to defend her European figure skating title due to injury. Her ankle is still too unstable to take part in next week's European figure skating championships in Tallinn, her management agency announced on Tuesday.
Hendrickx became the first Belgian to win the European figure skating championship at the beginning of last year. But this season has been a disappointment, culminating in an ankle injury during training in early December.
She was able to resume training in Antwerp this month, but the discomfort persisted. On Tuesday, she reported "constant pressure pain". A further scan last Friday revealed fluid, a cyst and ongoing instability in the ankle.
"This instability prevents Loena from making some important jumps, even in training," her management said. "Participation in the European championship, which starts in a week's time, is unfortunately ruled out as a result."
Bad luck continues
"This is really unfortunate," Hendrickx said. "Bad luck continues to haunt me this season. Just when the problems of the beginning of the season seemed to be over and everything was going according to plan, I sprained my ankle."
Hendrickx will undergo further tests this week. She will discuss with her team what the best medical solution is and what it means for the rest of the season.
Belgium will be represented by Nina Pinzarrone, who won bronze at last year's European championship, and Jade Hovine. The tournament will be held in Tallinn, Estonia, from 28 January to 2 February.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO GEOFF ROBINS / AFP
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