Jess and Noemie Fox win prestigious Don Award in glamorous ceremony
Australia’s Olympic heroes, sisters Jess and Noemie Fox, have won a prestigious sporting award at a star-studded ceremony in Melbourne.
Australia’s Olympic heroes Jessica Fox and Noemie Fox have won the prestigious Don Award.
The canoe slalom superstars took home the top gong at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) Inductions & Awards Gala in Melbourne on Monday night.
The Don Award, introduced in 1998 and named for the Sport Australia Hall of Fame’s inaugural Inductee, Sir Donald Bradman AC, honours an Australian athlete or team whose achievements and example over the past 12 months have most inspired the nation.
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The Fox sisters dominated the canoe slalom events at this year’s Paris Olympics.
Jess won the K1, a gold she had been chasing for four Olympic Games. She also defended her title in the C1, becoming one of Australia’s most decorated Olympians in individual events.
But the moment of the Games came when her 27-year-old sister Noemie won the Kayak Cross in the first time the event has ever been held at the Olympics.
After Noemie claimed gold in her Olympic debut, Jess and their mum, Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, jumped into the water and celebrated in jubilant scenes.
Jess and Noemie got glammed up for Monday night’s ceremony and coordinated in strapless black dresses, with Jess wearing her iconic curly hair in waves.
Noemie stepped out on the red carpet with her boyfriend, French paddler Titouan Dupras.
Their dad Richard Fox, who commentated their gold medals at the Paris Olympics, also attended the event.
Jess said of winning the Don Award: “It’s so special and I know when I received the call, and then when I called (Noemie) afterwards, I said, ‘Do you realise what this means?’ It’s massive and a huge honour.’’
Noemie said: “It’s still really hard to find the right words to think of my name next to all those previous award winners that are not only icons of Australian history, but also just sporting heroes for us growing up – especially Ian Thorpe, Cathy Freeman around that Sydney 2000 Olympics.
“For me, I just can’t think that my name is going to be on that same page with them. It’s an amazing, amazing feeling and recognition.’’
Jess Fox’s Olympic performance cemented herself as one of Australia’s most popular and marketable athletes.
The 30-year-old has signed with beauty brand L’Oreal Paris and has been working with Channel 9, appearing on breakfast TV and Melbourne Cup carnival coverage.
She was named to Forbes 30Under30 list along with fellow Aussie athletes Ariarne Titmus, Mary Fowler and Oscar Piastri.
SAHOF Selection Committee chair Bruce McAvaney OAM said: “It’s always difficult to isolate the most inspiring sporting performance in any year but even more so in an Olympic and Paralympic year – and especially when you’ve come off the best performance yet by an Australian team.
“But whichever way we looked at it, the Fox sisters – and indeed the entire family – were the most remarkable.
“Jess, already a legend, confirmed her greatness in Paris and for Noemie to compete against her and then join her as a gold medallist at the same games is what Hollywood script writers dream about.’’
Surfer Mick Fanning, former Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles, lawn bowls trailblazer Karen Murphy, hurdler Sally Pearson, Supercars legend Mark Skaife and dual-sport Paralympics champion Liesl Tesch were inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
Other Aussie sporting greats in attendance included beach volleyballers Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst, Wallabies greats John Eales and Tim Horan, rugby league royalty Wally Lewis.
Surfing legend Layne Beachley, swimming greats Dawn Fraser and Susie O’Neill, and Winter Olympics icon Steven Bradbury were also at the ceremony at Crown in Melbourne.
Retiring basketballer Lauren Jackson was the recipient of The Dawn Award in recognition of her comeback to play at her fifth Olympic Games in Paris.
The Dawn Award, introduced in 2021 and named after swimming great and SAHOF’s first female Inductee and Legend Dawn Fraser AC MBE, recognises an individual, team or organisation – from this or a previous generation – who show courage and bravery and have changed sport for the better.
“It’s incredible,” Jackson said.
“Dawn is someone that I’ve looked up to for many years. She’s become a friend of mine, and I’m really honoured and humbled in the same breath. It’s really special. And I’m super proud.’’
“The last three years have been wild and epic and I never thought that I’d get back into a situation where I was competing at that level again.
“And I think when you’ve got great teammates you feel supported, you feel like you’re part of something special. And I felt like I was part of something really special (in Paris). And yeah, I’ll be thankful to them for the rest of my life.’’
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