Australia’s Jessica Fox, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics’ canoe slalom champion, finally won the medal she always wanted in her fourth Summer Games.
Fox, 30, stormed to Olympic gold in the women’s kayak slalom in a time of 96.08 seconds at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Sunday (July 28).
Jessica Fox – Australia 🇦🇺 Olympic Gold medal in the K1.
Her 2nd Olympic gold and finally the one in the K1
A winning time of 96.08 pic.twitter.com/9OGkNnKzS6— OS (@OpenskiesX) July 28, 2024
Poland’s Klaudia Zwolinska picked up the silver medal, and Briton Kimberley Woods took the bronze.
French-born Fox, the eight-time canoe slalom world champion, was one of the two Australian flag bearers at the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris on Friday (July 26).
She came first in Saturday’s kayak slalom heat but struggled in the semi-final, ending up as the eighth of 12 finalists, but recovered form to win gold.
Fox’s Olympic medals
Fox won the gold medal in canoe slalom (C1) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where the sport made its debut.
However, the kayak slalom gold eluded her in her three previous Games.
She won silver in the kayak slalom at the 2012 London Games and bronze in the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Games.
Family of Olympian canoeists
Fox, who will be defending her Olympic canoe slalom title, comes from a family of Olympian canoeists.
Her younger sister, Noemi Fox, 27, is making her Olympic debut in Paris, competing in the women’s kayak cross event.
Their mother, Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, who coaches Jessica, won bronze for France in kayak slalom at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. Their father, Richard Fox, paddled for Britain in the kayak slalom event at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Related post: Jessica Fox: All-time great slalom canoe paddler in Paris for her fourth Olympics