Fox wins third world title
Jessica Fox has made history by becoming the first woman to win three consecutive C-1 Canoe Slalom World Championship gold medals.
“It’s really special to defend a world title, and to win three in a row is awesome,” 21-year-old Fox said after defending her title for a second time in London last week.
Fox, who is the current Maccabi Australia Sportswoman of the Year, is only the third person to win three World Championships in a row, but in a unique twist one of the other two is her father Richard Fox, who won K-1 gold medals at the 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1989 World Championships.
She finished 4.91 seconds ahead of second-placed Czech Republic’s Katerina Hoskova.
“There’s joy and elation to put together such a good run.
“I’m really happy with the way I lived that race, and how I lived with the whole experience, because it was a tough final.”
Fox also won gold, with fellow Australians Rosalyn Lawrence and Alison Borrows, in the C-1 teams event ahead of Czech Republic and Austria.
But Unfortunately for Fox, the C-1 competition will not be on the program at the Rio Olympics next year, but it is expected to debut at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Instead she will focus on the K-1 competition, which she won a silver medal in at the 2012 London Olympics and placed fourth in at the London World Championships last week.
She said it will be easier at the Olympics without being the reigning K-1 world champion, but she is still ranked the best athlete in the world in that event.
“I know I have improved so much in the kayak since the London Olympics. “I’m leaving here with enough satisfaction and enough hunger in the belly to work hard for next year.”
JOSHUA LEVI
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