Jessica Fox Triumphs in C1 and K1 Events

Jessica Fox could have forgiven herself for thinking she would never win Olympic gold at one point. But the Australian canoeist has now won her past three Olympic finals and rewritten Games history. She will bid for an unprecedented treble at Paris 2024 later this week. Fox, 30, was born in France and has excelled in the canoe slalom since her return. She has proven herself superior to her rivals at the spectacular Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. On Wednesday, she retained her canoe single (C1) title in style, storming down the course to claim victory by 2.48 seconds.

She achieved this despite incurring two penalty seconds for making contact with a gate. She finished ahead of Germany’s faultless Elena Lilik.  This achievement followed her kayak single (K1) triumph just three days earlier. That win ended her long, agonizing wait for gold in the K1 event. In her first three Olympic finals, Jessica Fox missed out on gold by a combined six seconds in an unforgiving sport determined by the finest margins. But in Paris, she made history as the first athlete to win two canoe slalom gold medals at the same Games.

She has unmatched six Olympic podium finishes in the sport. Fox surpassed swimmers Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones, cyclist Anna Meares and runner Shirley Strickland.  With her sixth individual medal, she became the most successful athlete in Australian Olympic history. “This has been a dream Games,” Fox said. “As an athlete, you put in the blood, sweat, and tears, and the team invests in you. For it to come down to one day every four years, then to actually pull it off, is the best feeling in the world. It does not always go your way and I have experienced that as well.  For it to turn out this way, it has been the perfect Games and so magical to be here in Paris.”

Fox began her Olympic journey with K1 silver as an 18-year-old at London 2012. She then earned successive bronze medals in 2016 and 2020. After her painful third successive near-miss in Tokyo, she returned two days later to win the inaugural women’s C1 Olympic title. This victory paved the way for her continued success. Now, Fox will prepare for the kayak cross event, beginning with a time trial round on Friday, August 2.

Chasing a remarkable treble, Fox admits, “you just never know” what will happen in the unpredictable event. As for the future, Fox, who is at the peak of her powers, does not sound like she is done yet. “I still have another race, so it’s not over yet,” she said when asked about a post-Games retirement. “I still feel good, I still love the sport, and I’m still enjoying it. And we have the World Championships at home in 2025.”