Prague birthday present for Fox
...on the eve of her birthday, Fox started as the fourth fastest paddler in the kayak final, and recorded a very competitive time of 109.13 seconds,
Jessica Fox celebrated her 29th birthday by winning two gold medals in front of a huge crowd in Prague last weekend in the second round of the women’s 2023 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup Series, in a dominant display on a tricky whitewater course.
Fox started with a win in the women’s kayak final, which was a welcome return to form in that discipline after she’d bowed out in the semis the week before in Germany.
She put in a near-flawless run, crossing the finish line in 98.95 seconds, to beat runner-up Ricarda Funk of Germany by 4.63 seconds.
“It was really special,” the Maccabi Australia Sportswoman of the Year and Tokyo Olympics women’s canoe gold medallist said.
“I love racing in Prague, the atmosphere is like nowhere else.
“Last week I was really frustrated not to make the final after making a silly mistake, so I really wanted to put down some good paddling.”
Then, on the eve of her birthday, Fox started as the fourth fastest paddler in the kayak final, and recorded a very competitive time of 109.13 seconds, to edge runner-up Monica Doria Vilarrubla of Andorra, and third place-getter, Czech Gabriela Satkova, who received a big cheer on her home course.
It was Fox’s second consecutive canoe gold in the series so far.
Reflecting on the final, she said, “Gabi and Monica both put down really good runs, so it was so close at the finish.
“I’m so pleased to take the win. It’s a great way to start the season.”
Her younger sister and Australian teammate, Noemie, came 24th overall, and will look to lift and qualify for the finals in the next round of the five-round series this weekend in Tacen, Slovenia.
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