Jessica Fox: Olympic Legend Stays Motivated After Winning Everything

Jessica Fox has won everything in canoe slalom, but she still felt shocked by the love she received at Paris 2024. In addition to hundreds of messages from fans, the Australian received recognition from sporting icons after her victories in the women’s C1 and K1 events, including a phone call from swimming legend Ian Thorpe and a goat emoji from football star Sam Kerr on Instagram.

This was a moment that made the humble Fox realize she was now on a par with her heroes. “It's quite surreal when you wake up to an Instagram message from some legends of our sport or from our country. Little ten-year-old me was screaming as it was so incredible!” Fox told Olympics.com.

“There are so many phenomenal athletes and legends that we have in Australia who I've been inspired by, you know, our very own [two-time track cycling Olympic champion] Anna Meares who was our Chef de Mission is one of the people I looked up to as a kid and to have her there for my race, to be able to give her a big hug after she witnessed that gold medal moment was amazing. It’s very crazy to think that I'm now considered a goat and part of that elite club in Australia.”

The Journey to the Top

Fox was 18 when she won silver at her first Olympic Games at London 2012. Since then, she has dominated the sport, landing an incredible 14 world titles and five further Olympic medals, including golds at Tokyo 2020 and two from Paris.

The Marseille-born athlete’s achievements were recognized when she was given the honor of being the flagbearer on board the Australian boat for the Paris Opening Ceremony.

A Secret to Continued Success

But the most remarkable thing about Fox’s career beyond her incredible medal haul is her consistency over the years and seemingly unwavering motivation. “I didn't know how I would feel coming into these Games having reached the pinnacle and already won that Olympic gold,” she continued.

“How do you stay motivated? It's a question I get asked a lot, and I think for me it's the competition. It's that feeling of sitting on the start line and trying to put down my best paddling to try and put down a performance that I've worked so hard to do over the last Olympiad, over the last 20 years that I've been kayaking.”

Adapting to the Challenges

Adapting to the changes within canoe slalom has been another key factor in keeping Fox challenged in the sport. Her workload has increased at each Olympic Games, meaning she has to figure out how to keep her mind focused and her body prepared for another all-out assault on the course within a short space of time.

With kayak cross making its debut at Paris 2024, her endurance was put to the test like never before. “It's tough doing multiple events. My first couple Games, it was just one event and then it became two in Tokyo. And in Paris I was competing in three events. So staying focussed, and recovering is really important,” she said.

“After the kayak I was on such a high, winning that first gold medal that I had to really bring myself down and tell myself I still had another race. I had to refocus and try and conserve my energy. And that was just coming back to the process, trying to get good sleep, recover, see the physio, eat, and then allow myself to... to dream and go again.”

A Family of Olympians

On top of gold medals, flag bearing, and celebrity shoutouts, the Fox family had a bittersweet moment to celebrate at Paris 2024 too. Despite being a double world champion, Jessica was eliminated early in the kayak cross by her sister Noemie, but the younger Fox sibling then went on to win the gold medal on her Olympic debut. In recognition of their achievement, an island was named after the sisters.

It’s a moment their parents Richard and Myriam, who also competed as canoeists at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and looked on their kids with pride from the stands in Paris, will never forget.

“It's so special to share this experience with my family. All four of us are now Olympians. We came up against each other in the first competition, so that was tough, but also awesome,” she said.

“The dinner table chat is all about the Games and the fact we're all Olympians. It's so cool. I even joked that we should all get matching Olympic tattoos, but I don't think they’re keen!”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Fox’s earliest Olympic memory was watching Athens 2004 as a ten-year-old, when Thorpe won two gold medals, and then being in the crowd at Sydney 2000. She counts these experiences as the moment her dream of competing at the Olympic Games started to form.

As such, she is aware of the 10-year-olds who watched her take two golds from Paris 2024, for whom she is now the role model. “I know that there are so many little kids watching us at the Games and celebrating our achievements. Whether that's Olympics or Paralympics, they might be Brisbane 2032 hopefuls,” she said.

“There are stories of resilience and grit and hope that come out of these Games. And so that's something, you know, that we want to share as well. For us in Australia that's super exciting and I just hope they can see you can be whatever you want to be, you can dream, you can work hard.”

Perhaps it will be Fox that is anointing new goats in years to come.