2018 Jessica Fox - Australia

Jessica Fox (Australia) – Nominee for the 2018 Sportswoman of the Year award

Born: 11/06/1994, Represents: Australia, Sport(s): Canoe Slalom (C1W, K1W).

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessfox.canoeslalom/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessfox94
Website: www.jessicafox.mli.st

Major Results:

• 4x C1 World Champion (2013, 2014, 2015, 2018)
• Triple K1 World Champion (2014, 2017, 2018)
• Olympic Silver & Bronze Medallist: 2012 & 2016
• U23 World Champion K1W (2014, 2014, 2016, 2017)
• U23 World Champion C1W (2013, 2014, 2016)
• Junior World Champion K1W and C1W (2010, 2012)

At the 2018 Slalom World Championships in Rio De Janeiro, Jessica Fox completely stole the show. Winning her seventh individual senior world title, successfully defending her 2017 K1 championship crown and completing a season unbeaten in the C1, Fox became the most successful female slalom paddler in history. This achievement saw her surpass her father Richard Fox who was previously the most successful individual paddler in history, and her mother Miriam Fox-Jersusalmi who topped the leader board as the most successful female.

After having already written numerous pages in the history book of canoe slalom, achieving this feat was on a matter of time. In 2014 she became the first woman to win both the C1W and K1W at a World Championships. In 2015, Fox moved to number one in both the K1W and C1W world rankings, before winning her third C1W title in a row at the World Championships, becoming the first woman to do so. The 24-year-old has also stood on the podium at two consecutive Olympic Games in the K1W event, claiming silver at the 2012 London Games and then a bronze four years later in Rio.

After this bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games, Fox felt she had unfinished business on the course at the 2018 World Championships. After qualifying sixth fastest for the K1 final, she knew she had to put down a solid run to hold off the other girls. Posting a time of 102.6, she watched on as the top five qualifiers failed to surpass her, with her eventually winning by a margin of over two seconds.

24 hours later, she put together another superb performance, posting a clean run of 109.07, which was almost five seconds ahead of the defending World Champion, Mallory Franklin of Great Britain in 113.85.

Whilst she could have been excused for wanting to head straight home to celebrate following this record-breaking competition, Fox travelled straight to Buenos Aires for the Youth Olympic Games to offer advice to up and coming athletes. As the K1 gold medal winner at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010, Fox said she will forever treasure this unique Olympic experience.

Records:
- The most successful female canoe slalom athlete ever
- The most successful individual canoe slalom athlete ever
- First athlete to win both the K1 and C1 world titles in the same year.
- The only female paddler to have won three consecutive world titles
- The first athlete to win both the K1 and C1 World Cup titles.