Fox in fine form for Rio
WOMEN’S canoe slalom world number one Jessica Fox finished the opening three rounds of the 2016 World Cup in strong form in Pau, France last weekend.
WOMEN’S canoe slalom world number one Jessica Fox finished the opening three rounds of the 2016 World Cup in strong form in Pau, France last weekend, despite copping a fifty-second penalty in the K1 (single kayak) discipline that drifted her into 10th place.
The 22-year-old Jewish athlete – who won a silver medal for Australia at the 2012 Olympics – won silver in the non-Olympic C1 (single canoe) and remains confident of a bold showing in Rio, having earned three silver medals and one gold during the series.
In the second round, Fox won silver in the women’s K1, behind Spain’s Maialen Chourraut. She also medalled twice the previous weekend, during round one of the World Cup series in Ivrea, Italy.
Fox has been busy ramping up her preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games in style. She is only weeks away from going to Rio for the Olympic Games, and “the medals in the World Cup events are exciting because most of the Olympic athletes are competing in them”, Fox said.
“Having six Olympic boats in the final shows it is a good field, it’s good to see where we are compared to each other,” she added.
Fox had a friendly rival on the river in younger sister Noemie, 19, who joined the ICF senior circuit last year and narrowly missed Olympic selection. Noemi also won a bronze medal in the C1 event, which will not be contested at the Olympic Games.
“Noemie raced really well at the selection trials earlier in the year to earn her spot on the senior team and she’s improved so much – it’s great to have her on tour with me,” Fox told The AJN from her current training base in France.
Fox demonstrated patience and tenacity on an unfamiliar course, and successfully overcame slow starts and mid-course mishaps in the women’s C1 and K1 (single kayak) events, winning gold and silver respectively.
Of her C1 triumph over Britain’s Mallory Franklin and Kimberley Woods, Fox said, “The moves in the middle of the course were quite tricky for me.
“In the final I had to go with a plan B – I’m just glad I could just charge down to the bottom and finish it off well.”
In the women’s K1 – which is an Olympic Games event – Fox qualified for the final in fifth position after picking up three penalty points when negotiating the mid-river rapids and gates.
But the Leonay resident powered home through the straights in the final to finish second to Germany’s Ricarda Funk by just 0.35 seconds.
In her quest to secure her second Olympic Games medal, Fox trained on Rio’s Olympic white water course in three two-week intensive blocks since November in a new canoe under the watchful eye of her coach and mother, Myriam, who won a bronze medal for France at the 1996 Olympic Games.
“The Rio course is great, it’s a bit smaller than the London Olympic course, but it has some tricky technical elements to it which makes it just as challenging,” Fox said.
Fox upped her physical conditioning prior to the two World Cup series rounds in Spain and France, and arrived in Rio on July 24 ahead of the Olympic Games opening ceremony on August 3.
“This time around it is a little bit different – I was relatively unknown and this time I am one of the contenders for the gold medal,” she said.
“While there’s added pressure and expectation, my mindset remains the same as for London – I am focused on the process, not the outcome.
“I’m getting so many good luck messages – it’s really humbling and such an honour to represent our country and community.
“I really appreciate the support from the Jewish community and all of Australia.”
SHANE DESIATNIK & YAEL BRENDER
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