Jess and Noemie Fox win The Don Award after inspiring nation; Jackson snares The Dawn
Not even a Hollywood script writer would have suggested the Fox sisters could sweep the slalom events at the Paris Games. But their performances touched the heart of a nation and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
Noemie Fox had better come to terms with her “impostor syndrome” pretty quickly.
Used to being in the long shadow cast by champion paddler and sister Jess, who took her tally of Games gold to three in Paris after winning the women’s kayak and canoe slalom titles, Noemie stepped into the light when she became the inaugural Olympic kayak cross champion on the Vaires-sur-Marne course.
The efforts of both sisters in Paris have been recognised, with the pair winning The Don Award at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) induction and awards dinner in Melbourne on Monday night.
Women swept the major gongs at the SAHOF awards for the second consecutive year, with basketball legend Lauren Jackson winning The Dawn Award for her groundbreaking career which culminated in a fifth Olympic medal in Paris.
Introduced in 1998 and named for SAHOF’s inaugural inductee Sir Donald Bradman, The Don Award honours an Australian athlete or team whose achievements and example have most inspired the nation over the past 12 months.
The fantastic Foxes did that not just with their collective haul of three gold medals but in their incredible support for and genuine joy in each other’s achievements on the sport’s biggest stage.
“It’s one of those awards that are so prestigious, and when you see the names that are engraved in that list forever, it’s sporting idols that I grew up with - Ian Thorpe, Cathy Freeman - legends that I struggle to see my name associated with,” Noemie said.
“It’s a beautiful honour, and to be recognised together as well, I think, is truly special.”
Jess, who was also the Australian flag bearer in Paris, headed into the Olympics as favourite in all three slalom events and under enormous pressure to deliver the treble.
After winning an emotional kayak gold - a medal her family, including mother and coach Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi had chased for five previous Olympic cycles - Jess defended the canoe slalom title she won in Tokyo before heading into the newly-introduced kayak cross, where she was bundled out in a heat won by younger sister Noemie, competing at her first Games.
In a storyline so seemingly audacious even a Hollywood script writer would baulk at it, Noemie - who had already navigated a treacherous path to just win selection - went on to win the inaugural kayak cross Olympic title, with Jess plunging into the water at the end of the race to embrace her sister.
“We didn’t realise, we couldn’t imagine, how much of an impact Paris would have on those watching at home,” Jess said.
“Obviously for us, it was a dream come true, the culmination of a lifetime of work - and for our family as well, it was an incredible moment.
“And I think a lot of people resonated with the emotion, and the energy that they could feel through the screen, I guess, whether it was me achieving that kayak gold or backing it up in the C1, or then Noemie doing what felt like the impossible to just qualify and then actually winning, and then seeing the emotion of those who loved her.
“When I think of The Don award, that’s what speaks to me, I think, is the way we made people feel during the Olympics, and not just us.”
At its most basic level, it’s a story of family and love, something that almost everyone can relate to.
“Whether that’s being in the shadows of the sister, or whether that’s watching your sibling achieve their dreams, or whether that’s understanding what it must feel like to be a mum watching your kids at the Olympics,” Noemie said.
“I hear it all the time: ‘That was my favourite moment of the Olympics’. And I think it’s because they really could see how much it meant to us, and how supported we were, and how the whole family was involved.”
Jackson was presented her award by Fraser, a woman she counts as not only an early sporting idol but now a friend.
“Truly, Dawn is an icon. She’s one of my friends and someone that’s inspired our entire nation,” Jackson said.
“So to be presented her award by her, it’s incredible and I’m just truly honoured.”
Having won medals at five Olympic Games - including in Paris earlier this year after an incredible comeback - Jackson is now an iconic figure herself and an inspiration in the way Fraser was to previous generations, even if she struggles to grasp that.
“Dawn is in her own realm of incredibleness and her stories just transcend generations,” Jackson said.
“I’ve been very, very fortunate in the last three years (since coming out of retirement). I keep saying to people, I’ve been on borrowed time a little bit with my injuries.
“I knew it was all going to come to an end very quickly. To be able to finish on a bronze medal (in Paris) was incredible. But I’m just so glad it’s over.”
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