"It's the best feeling. I was disappointed yesterday... to come out on this course today and put together a winning run means a lot."
A Golden Return: Jessica Fox Triumphs in Prague and Augsburg
Australian canoeist Jessica Fox has made a triumphant return to international competition, securing gold medals in both the K1 and C1 events at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in Prague, Czechia, followed by another gold in the C1 event at the next World Cup stop in Augsburg, Germany. These victories mark her comeback following surgery to remove a benign tumor from her left kidney in 2023.
World Cup in Prague
Women's K1 Final
Fox won the women's K1 final with a dominant run time of 108.84 seconds. Klaudia Zwolińska of Poland finished second with a time of 111.30 seconds, and Zuzana Paňková of Slovakia took third with 112.75 seconds.
During the final, both Fox and Zwolińska navigated two gates that had caused difficulties for other competitors. Fox was 1.08 seconds behind Zwolińska after gate 4, but recovered to be 2.43 seconds ahead after gate 18, finishing 2.46 seconds ahead of the Polish athlete.
Women's C1 Final
Two days after her K1 victory, Fox won the women's C1 final. She incurred four penalty seconds for touching gates 17 and 18, finishing with a total time of 121.01 seconds. Czech athlete Martina Satková (121.28 seconds) won silver, and Great Britain's Kimberley Woods (123.02 seconds) took bronze.
Statements
Following the K1 victory, Fox stated that making the final was a goal, achieving a podium was a bonus the previous week, and improving to gold was "amazing." She expressed gratitude for support during her recovery. After the C1 win, Fox said she did not expect to win the run and credited composure and determination. She noted managing a wrist injury from the previous week but feeling more confident in her paddling.
World Cup in Augsburg
Women's C1 Final
Fox won gold in the women's C1 event, finishing 2.34 seconds ahead of Spain's Núria Vilarrubla. Fox incurred a time penalty on the second-last gate. Her sister, Noémie Fox, placed fifth. Fox had qualified second fastest for the final behind Andorra's Mònica Dòria.
In the K1 event the previous day, Fox missed the final after hitting two gates and finishing 16th in the standings.
Statements
"It's the best feeling. I was disappointed yesterday... to come out on this course today and put together a winning run means a lot."
Background
Fox has won two Olympic gold medals in the C1 event. She underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor from her left kidney nine months prior to these competitions. In her first event back, she won a silver medal in the women's K1 final at the World Cup event in Tacen, Slovenia.
Fox is expected to compete at the World Championships next month in Oklahoma.