Belgian figure skaters Loena Hendrickx and Nina Pinzarrone finished second and fourth, respectively, in the Grand Prix Final in Beijing on Saturday. Japan's Kaori Sakamoto led by four points after the short programme and received the first-place prize.
The reigning world champion, Sakamoto, scored 148.35 points for her routine, bringing her total score to 225.70. Hendrickx countered with 203.36 points. Pinzarrone achieved 194.91 points.
Hendrickx's routine, entitled Break My Soul, was performed to the music of Beyoncé and Madonna. A triple lutz in a combination did not go entirely as planned, but she presented innovative choreography and surprised the judges by ending her routine directly in front of them.
Pinzarrone countered with the classical piece Adagio from Spartacus by Aram Khachatourian. Her first jump was a triple Lutz, but it was planned as the first of a combination. Later, the Belgian champion made up for this omission.
Hendrickx reported that she had undergone intensive physiotherapy following a fall during training last week. "I am happy that my physiotherapist helped me here as well," she said after the demanding four-minute freestyle. "I am now taking a few days off, and I think I will still have enough time afterwards to prepare for the European Figure Skating Championships. I'm going to do a lot of free freestyles to try to improve my endurance."
"This is my first GP season, and I'm so happy and relieved with how it went," said Pinzarrone. "I am very proud to be here. I'm taking a few days off now, but of course, not too many because the European Championships will be here soon."
Source: belganewsagency.eu
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