Peerless Jessica Fox the pride of Australia after second Olympic canoe slalom gold

PARIS – There may be many other sports with more followers than canoe slalom in Australia, but there can be few bigger stars Down Under than Jessica Fox at the moment following her second gold medal at the Paris Games, achieved in stunning fashion on July 31.

Just as she did in the kayak singles final on July 28, the 30-year-old cannoned bravely through the course to win the canoe singles gold, delighting the legion of fans who had travelled to the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium east of Paris to share in her moment of glory. 

“It was so special. I would love to be swarmed like that every time I compete. It was amazing to share it with them. There were so many Australians and Aussie supporters,” Fox said. 

Those supporters cheered her on relentlessly on a muggy afternoon, and once the competition was won, she went to celebrate with them. 

“Some of them were family, some were friends, some travelled from Oz, some live in Europe,” she added. “It was incredible to see the support here and celebrate with my family and team as well. I am over the moon.” 

Her score of 101.06 was enough to pip Germany’s Elena Lilik (103.54) and Evy Leibfarth of the United States (109.95).

The win ensured a successful defence of the title she won at the Tokyo Games, and Fox said her triumph in Paris was the result of hard work in the intervening years. 

“This has been a dream Games. 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, and then to actually pull it off, is the best feeling in the world,” she added.

“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 it’s so magical to be here in Paris.”

Her double gold in Paris also means Fox is the first person to win both titles, in either men or women’s, since slalom became a permanent fixture on the Olympic programme in 1992.

And of the 12,000 or so spectators who watched her win her second gold on July 31, few are better placed to critique her performance than her father Richard, the 10-time former slalom world champion who loved what he saw. 

“I was amazed in a way, that she had that capability to dig deep enough to go better – and not only go better, to go a lot better,” he said.

“It’s a hard course, and it’s a good field, and it doesn’t matter how many titles you’ve won before, you’ve got to stay on the wave, basically, and she had an amazing run.”

With one event left to go – the hair-raising kayak cross race on Aug 5, where four racers descend the course at the same time – another gold medal is still a possibility, but the Fox family are not getting greedy. 

“Hey, I’ll be surprised (if she wins), but I won’t be either. Of course, people will be asking that question, but we’re pretty happy with what we got there,” Richard added. REUTERS, AFP