Tokyo Olympics 2021: How Jess Fox changed women’s sport forever
Jess Fox, and her now-famous family from Penrith, took on 40-years of sexism, discrimination and gender inequality to achieve Olympic glory. David Riccio tells their story.
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Jess Fox is a movie.
Horse racing has Ride Like A Girl, the inspiring story of Michelle Payne’s history-making journey to become the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.
Payne overcame enormous setbacks, personal tragedy and racing’s sexist boys club.
Fox’s biopic is equally as powerful, if not more so.
With nothing more than a voice, Fox — and her now-famous little family from Penrith — took on 40-years of sexism, discrimination and gender inequality to achieve Olympic glory.
“A lot of the European countries did not support the girls at all. They thought we were a joke,” Fox told this column.
“It was a long fight. I get goosebumps thinking about it.”
We know of the struggle and courage behind the story because the ‘script’ has been sitting in this column’s email since 2013.
Richard Fox wasn’t always the most chilled father of an Olympic champion the world has ever seen.
His emotion was transparent when eight years ago, he forwarded a letter to your columnist.
“This is not about one athlete or one nation, this is about the world we live in and the values we stand for and subscribe to in sport under the Olympic charter and within our own federations,” Richard wrote.
The paragraph was included within a two-page letter Richard had written to the International Canoe Federation in July, 2013.
Richard’s plea was that the ICF abandon 40-years of antiquated rules that stopped women from competing in the Canoe (C1) slalom event at the Olympics.
“There has been no change to the number of events for women in canoe slalom since the discipline was first introduced in Munich 1972,” Fox wrote.
19-years-old at the time, Fox also joined the fight.
And it’s at this point now, you realise Thursday’s tears on the whitewater course of Kasai in Tokyo, were for much more than a glistening gold medal.
Few know that Fox would never have won that medal.
All those little girls, in lockdown back in Sydney, would never have used cardboard boxes and wooden spoons to mimic Fox’s canoe and paddle.
I was 10-metres from this heartbreaking moment in Rio 2016 when Richard Fox told daughter @jessfoxcanoe that gold had slipped through her fingers. It’s taken five years for the Fox family to get back what they deserved. So good. pic.twitter.com/Yb3kCggO4s
— David Riccio (@DaveRic1) July 29, 2021
And the minnow sport of canoeing would never have had almost two million people in Australia cheering and screaming at their televisions, had the Fox family not taken on the world.
“To achieve gender-equity is non-negotiable and we have to do that in order to stay in the Olympics,” Fox urged the ICF in 2013.
“I’m pushing for the C1 (canoe) women to be included in the Olympics because I obviously do compete in that event and the Australians are a strong nation in that event.
“But it’s more because as a woman I think it’s not fair that we don’t get the same chance as the men and obviously I want to see us stay in the Olympics and if we don’t achieve gender-equity that really jeopardises that.’’
Four years after Richard wrote his letter, it was announced women’s canoe slalom (C1) would be part of the Tokyo Games.
Fox, her mother and coach Myriam, younger sister Noemie and Richard cried together in their lounge room.
And then they pushed, trained and supported each other like never before.
Before Fox flew to Tokyo with belief and courage in her eyes, she spoke of her family’s perseverance.
“Those federations who didn’t support the women to begin with, but are supporting it (C1) now because it’s an Olympic event, are definitely late to the start line,’’ Fox said.
“You can see that in the results internationally.
“Australia and Great Britain are leading the world rankings and that’s because we (Australia) believed in the girls.
“We took them (girls) overseas to get experience, whereas I was always really frustrated in the eastern European countries, especially with the way they looked at women, talked about women and disrespected us.
“Mum always tells a story about an Austrian coach. He apologised to Mum and said you were right.
“At least they realise, even if it took 10-years.
“Even now when I compete, it does mean a lot when the guys come up to me and say that was an amazing race.
“Thinking of the moment that the canoe women are sitting on that start line, to get that opportunity and reflecting on all those women who came before us, who didn’t get that opportunity, it’s amazing.
“It’s something that I’m really proud of. I’m really proud of Australia, that they were a part of it.’’
Roll credits.
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