Accolades for NSWIS canoe athletes

Several athletes from the NSW Institute of Sport have been recognised at the Australian Canoeing 2017 Annual Awards held on the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Olympic medallist and 2017 Canoe Slalom World Champion in the women’s K1 Jessica Fox took home the Canoeist of the Year Award.

2017 Canoeist of the Year Jessica Fox had another outstanding season winning a total of 13 individual medals and three team medals in the women’s C1 and K1 events at the 2017 World Cups and World Championships and wrapped up her year with the World Champion title in the K1 at the recent ICF Slalom World Championships in Pau, France.

Together with sister Noemi Fox, also NSWIS, and Kate Eckhardt from Tasmania she was also a finalist for the Team of the Year Award, which went to the men’s K4 1000m crew which features Murray Stewart and Riley Fitzsimmons from the NSW Institute of Sport as well as Ken Wallace and Jordan Wood from Queensland. The Australian men’s K4 were recognised for their outstanding international season, which culminated in the 2017 World Championship title.

“It’s a big honour receiving this award” Jess Fox said at the end of the awards night.

“We had some great results in the slalom and for me it’s been a fantastic season in my individual races and also in the team races with the other girls Kate (Eckhardt), Noemi (Fox) and Ros (Lawrence).

“But it’s been an amazing year in the sport as a whole and also in sprint, paracanoe and marathon there were some amazing results, so to win this I’m really honoured and humbled.”

Paralympian and NSWIS athlete Dylan Littlehales won the Junior Canoeist of the Year Award. Dylan, who turned 18 last week, has been competing in the paracanoeing senior class, where he finished fifth in the men’s KL3 200m at the 2017 ICF Paracanoe World Championships.

“It’s a huge honour to receive this award. I competed against the Junior athletes not only in the paracanoe, but also in the Olympic class and everyone is at a high level, so getting this award feels incredible,” Dylan Littlehales said after receiving the award.

“It’s great to train with the likes of Curtis, who is a great athlete and the goal I had ever since I started competing is to be able to beat him and I’m finally starting to get there”.