Jess Fox to create history in Paris after being named in her record-breaking fourth Olympic team
No Australian canoe slalom athlete has ever been to four Olympic Games, until now. And Jess Fox will head to Paris as the one to beat after her extraordinary gold medal triumph in Tokyo.
An emotional Jess Fox said making her fourth Olympic team meant just as much as her first after she was announced as the second Australian athlete to compete in Paris next year.
The 29-year-old will become the first Australian canoe slalom athlete to compete at four Olympics when she tries to defend her C1 gold medal from Tokyo.
Fox will compete in the C1 and K1 events, while she also has her eyes on the Kayak Cross event that will make its debut in Paris.
Presented with her ticket by Chef de Mission Anna Meares, Fox said it still hadn’t sunk in that she would be creating history in France.
“I’ve been so focused on what I need to do to prepare and qualify that I haven’t taken the time to think about it and realise what it means to achieve this,” Fox said.
“That’s why I’m getting a bit emotional.
“I remember being in London at my first Olympics and what an amazing experience that was.
“Now to be heading to a fourth Olympics, to be one of the most experienced athletes on the team, I’m looking forward to sharing that with my Aussie teammates and doing the best I can to represent Australia.”
Fox has been one of Australia’s most consistent athletes on the world stage since making her Olympics debut at age 18 in 2012.
She has one silver and two bronze Olympic medals to go with her Tokyo gold, as well as 10 world championships and 11 World Cup titles.
Fox secured early qualification for the Paris Olympics as part of Paddle Australia’s nomination criteria for specified benchmark results this year.
It’s been another phenomenal season in which Fox has won the World Cup titles in the C1 and K1, as well as K1 gold at the world championships.
Her long-awaited breakthrough in Tokyo was one of the most celebrated moments of the games, combined with the commentary of her father, Richard.
While all eyes will be on her as she tries to repeat her success, Fox said she was looking forward to performing with the pressure of being the reigning champion.
“That was years in the making, that moment,” Fox said. “Dad was part of that moment in the commentary box and it’s incredible he is the soundtrack of that because he’s such a big part of my journey.
“When I re-listen and watch that, I still get emotional because there was so much emotion.
“I achieved that gold medal dream in Tokyo. I’ve won the world titles and ticked all the goals I wanted to achieve in my sport and that 10th world title is a lovely round number.
“But I’m still hungry for more because I feel like I can keep improving. I love what I do, I enjoy every session on the water.
“Pressure is a privilege to be able to race with, to learn how to race with it and use that energy to appreciate the opportunity and the challenge.”
The event in Paris will also carry extra meaning for Fox and the French side of her family. Her mother, Myriam, competed for France at the 1996 Olympics and the Games will also present an opportunity for many of Fox’s friends and family to watch her in action for the first time.
“Everyone is trying to get tickets and sorting that out,” Fox said. “I’m not sure who’s going to come.
“I think a couple of my aunties and uncles will make the trip up. My grandma is 88, she’s a stressed spectator, so I don’t think she should be in the crowd.
“Being part of the Games, especially after Tokyo, which was such a unique Olympics, it will be such a big celebration of sport.”
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