Belgian figure skater Loena Hendrickx has made her mark on the sport with her elegance, her history-making feats - and her fight.

That last trait may be needed more than the others this week in Beijing, People's Republic of China, where the two-time world medallist is looking to re-ignite an Olympic dream that, less than a year ago, seemed in jeopardy.

After missing all but one event - the Shanghai Trophy where she finished third - in the 2024-25 season with an ankle injury, the 25-year-old is back. But her return to competition, her first in nearly a year, isn't some warm-up event where she can dust off the cobwebs, settle in and prepare for major events down the road.

No, her return comes at the 2025 ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating Qualifier 2025, the final figure skating qualifying opportunity for February's Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Five quota spots for women to the Games will be obtained at the event.

"It's very early in the season, I'm not used to that," Hendrickx admitted in a recent interview with Sporza. "I'm going to have to deal with the summer training in a different way, but I'm mentally charged. I am ready for it."

She'll need to be.

The field includes individual neutral athlete Adeliia Petrosian, a two-time national champion who trains with Eteri Tutberidze, and 2023 European champion Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia.

An on-form Hendrickx could be the class of the field, however. No other woman brings her mix of experience with international success, with the Belgian owning the 2024 European title and two medals at the World Championships, a first for her nation.