Canoe slalom gun Jessica Fox quick to recover for World Cup silver in Germany
UPDATED: It’s a sign of a true champion - being able to recover from a mistake to race onto a podium at a big meet. Jessica Fox has proved time and time again she is such a champion.
Penrith
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Penrith paddler Jessica Fox has recovered from an indifferent qualifying run and a mistake in the final to race onto the podium in the K1 event at a World Cup meet in Germany in an encouraging sign for the upcoming world championships.
Fox, who earned the title of the greatest female paddler of all time with a stunning 2018 season, finished with a silver medal in ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 4 in Markkleeberg.
The reigning world champion qualified for the final in seventh place but fired when it mattered to finish behind her longtime German rival Ricarda Funk.
“It’s a silver medal, and I’m really happy to be on the podium and I’m probably 90 per cent happy with that run,” Fox said.
“I made a big mistake on gate one and just charged from there.
“It’s sometimes easier to make a mistake earlier than it is later in the run because you can try and catch up a bit of time throughout the run.
“It’s not the start I wanted. When I crossed the line and saw the time I knew it was solid but I wasn’t sure if it was enough for a medal.”
On Monday Fox added a bronze to her haul after picking up a penalty for a gate touch in the C1 final.
“I’m really happy to have been on the podium twice this weekend, it was an incredible race in the C1 women,” Fox said.
“It was probably the tightest final we’ve ever seen. The quality was really good. A couple of years ago we weren’t allowed to do a couple of the gates, so this year we’ve proved just how good we can be.
“I had a few issues with gate one this weekend. Without the touch it was a fast time, and considering there was 0.16 between the top three, I’m happy to be on the podium with a touch.”
Fox is bidding to compete in both the K1 and the C1 events at next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.