Sporting sisters inspire Australia
Recipients over the years have included the likes of Cathy Freeman, Ian Thorpe, Ash Barty and the 2023 Matildas.
Whether it was the Australian team’s co-flag bearer Jessica Fox’s jaw-dropping, world first feat of winning both the single canoe and kayak slalom events at the Paris Olympics, her younger sister Noemie’s incredible gold medal win in her debut Olympics in the kayak cross, the Jewish siblings’ mum and coach Myriam leaping with joy on the river bank, or their dad’s voice cracking inside the commentary box, one thing for sure is that the Fox family’s feats at the 2024 Games captured a nation’s heart.
Deservingly then, on Monday night at the 2024 Sport Australia Hall of Fame awards dinner in Melbourne, Jessica and Noemie jointly won the Don Award, which honours an Australian athlete or team whose achievements and example over the past 12 months have most inspired the nation.
Jewish Sydneysiders and Australian canoe slalom squad teammates Jessica and Noemie Fox became the first siblings to win one of the highest honours in Australian sport, the Don Award, at last Monday’s 2024 Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) gala dinner at Crown Melbourne.
Introduced in 1998, it honours an Australian athlete or team whose achievements and example over the past 12 months have most inspired the nation.
Recipients over the years have included the likes of Cathy Freeman, Ian Thorpe, Ash Barty and the 2023 Matildas.
SAHOF selection committee chair Bruce McAvaney said it was a particularly difficult task to pick a winner for the award in an Olympic and Paralympic year in which Australia achieved its best results.
“But whichever way we looked at it, the Fox sisters – and indeed the entire family – were the most remarkable,” he said.
“Jess, already a legend, confirmed her greatness in Paris and for Noemie to compete against her and then join her as a gold medallist at the same Games, is what Hollywood script writers dream about.”
In Paris, they both created Olympic paddling history – Australian co-flag bearer Jessica, 30, by becoming the first athlete to win gold in both the women’s single kayak and canoe events at the same Olympics – and Noemie, 27, for winning gold in her Olympics debut in the inaugural women’s kayak cross event.
Their parents – both former canoe slalom Olympic athletes –were both at the packed white-water stadium to savour it all.
Jessica and Noemie’s dad, Richard, commentated all their races on Channel Nine and their mum and coach, Myriam, ran along the banks of the course in each final and leaped into the air in pure joy after each daughter’s golden moment.
And when Noemie crossed the finish line first in her event’s final, Jessica jumped into the water, swam to her sister’s boat and embraced her with all her might.
Those incredible scenes touched and inspired millions of Australians – something both sisters reflected on at the awards night and later on social media.
On sharing the Don Award with her younger sister, Jessica said, “It’s so special and I know when I received the call and then when I called [Noemie] afterwards, I said, do you realise what this means? It’s massive and a huge honour.
“It’s the greatest honour to be awarded this prestigious award alongside Noemie, in a room full of Australian sporting legends – the ones who first inspired us as little kids … how special to be among them – forever inspired.”
Of Noemie’s historic kayak cross gold in her first Olympics, Jessica reflected at the reception, “It’s so special now to see the impact that it had on so many people back home in Australia. Those who woke up at 3am to cheer at their TVs and all that energy, really helped us as well.”
Noemie said it is “hard to find the right words” to describe how it feels to have her and her sister’s names next to all the previous winners of the Don Award, “for us growing up, especially Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman, around that Sydney 2000 Olympics”.
“It’s an amazing, amazing feeling and recognition.”
On social media, Noemie simply wrote, “Wow … alongside Jessica – receiving the highest award in Australian sport. Inspired, touched, grateful, pinching myself! Thank you for this SAHOF.”
comments