Australia’s Jessica Fox is widely seen as the greatest individual slalom canoe paddler of all time. The 30-year-old eight-time world champion has four Olympic medals under her belt.
The Paris Olympics mark a return to roots for her.
She was born in Marseille, France, but moved to Australia with her family at the age of four.
Selected to be the Australian flag-bearer at the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony, she said it was “probably the greatest moment of my career” . She shared the honour with the Australian field hockey player and five-time Olympian Eddie Ockenden.
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French connection, family of Olympians
Fox, whose mother is French, said, “Obviously that French connection is very strong and it’s such a wonderful, special, unique moment to be able to bring my two cultures together: the French, the Australian,” according to Australia’s ABC News.
She comes from a family of Olympian paddlers.
Her younger sister, Noemi Fox, 27, is making her Olympic debut in Paris, competing in the women’s kayak cross event.
Their mother, Myriam Jerusalmi, won bronze for France at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games and coaches Jessica. Their father, Richard, paddled for Britain at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The Paris Olympics will be Jessica Fox’s fourth Summer Games.
She made her debut at the 2012 London Olympics, where she won a silver in the K1 event. Four years later, she won a bronze in the same event at the Rio de Janeiro Games. She won not only a bronze in K1 at Tokyo but struck gold as well. Fox like several others had been been urging women be allowed to compete in canoe slalom, and when it was introduced in the Tokyo Olympics, she won gold in that C1 event.
Outside the Olympics, Fox has won 22 medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, including 14 golds, five silvers and three bronzes. Her eight gold medals in individual events make her the most successful paddler, male or female, in World Championship history.