Jess Fox knocked out of 2024 Paris Olympics kayak cross, sister Noemie Fox in finals
The Fox sisters drawing the same kayak cross heat was their worst nightmare and it resulted in Jess being eliminated as Noemie went through to the finals.
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Jess Fox’s eyes closed in a fleeting moment of utter heartbreak but when she opened them she saw the sight that rescued her shattered emotions.
Fox was bundled out in the heats of the kayak cross in the biggest upset of the opening elimination round of the kayak cross after finishing fourth in a heat won by younger sister Noemie.
It ends a stellar Olympic campaign that has delivered two gold medals and elevated her to the status of Australian Olympic great.
With only the top two from the heats progressing, Fox’s dream of a historic treble of titles ended after she was unable to squeeze through the final upstream gate ahead of Spain’s Maialen Chourraut and into second place.
There was immediate pain - but the elation at her sister’s achievement was soon overwhelming.
“(I’m) gutted absolutely but at the same time when you see your little sister win the heat … the emotion went straight away and I just gave her a massive hug because I was really proud of her,” Jess said.
“I was nervous for her, nervous for myself, gutted that we were in the same heat, but also then we realised it could be an advantage if we could work together or at least not block each other, so I think we did that well.”
The body language of parents Richard and Myriam, both champion international paddlers, was telling and confirmed that old saying that a parent is only as happy as their unhappiest child.
A three-way hug away from the cameras between Jess, Noemie and Myriam said much about their tangled emotions.
There were plenty of hugs and pats of congratulations and commiserations as the parents looked dutifully sombre.
“Ideally they were going to be one and two out of the blocks but Jess got into an early fight,’’ father Richard said.
“In hindsight it has been a big, big Games for Jess and she can be proud of what she has done.
“Noemie, this was her moment. She’s not rejoicing. She feels for her sister. There was no tussle between the two. That’s good.’’
While an elimination heat in which only the top two progress, Jess was quick to note Noemie had not knocked her out.
“I just didn’t pull out my best race and it was really tough. Off the start I got really tangled with the other two girls and Noemie had a really good start so I was trying to chase from that moment,” Jess said.
“That first corner I turned fourth, so I had to try and overtake in the first up(stream gate) which I thought I did really well, climbed up one spot and then I almost, almost pulled off the overtake in the last upstream gate.”
Fox ducked inside Spain’s Maialen Chourraut but was unable to get around cleanly, eventually trailing home in fourth and last place.
When she did cross the line, she headed straight for Noemie’s boat, with the pair embracing on the water.
“Definitely words of encouragement,” Noemie said of what Jess had said to her.
“She’s so grateful to have me here. It’s so special for us to be together doing this.
“We’ve been really great sparring and training partners. She knows she had more to show as well - and now she’ll just be pushing me to the end.”
Originally published as Jess Fox knocked out of 2024 Paris Olympics kayak cross, sister Noemie Fox in finals
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