Fox honoured at Paddle Australia Annual Awards

Dual 2018 World Champion Jessica Fox has taken home one of the top gongs at the Paddle Australia Annual Awards held in Sydney on Saturday (3 November 2018). The NSW Institute of Sport Canoe Slalom athlete won both the “Paddler of the Year – Olympic” award and the prestigious “President’s Award“, whilst her mother and coach Myriam Fox received the Coach of the Year Award.

Paddle Australia’s greatest individual slalom paddler of all time, Jessica Fox received the President’s Award in recognition of her outstanding achievements this season, including double World Champion gold and the overall World Cup win in both the women’s K1 and C1 events.

“I didn’t expect a season like this! I go into each year wanting to improve, wanting to keep learning and just keep doing my best at competitions. It’s been the perfect season and the perfect world championships and it’s amazing to receive this recognition, Jess Fox said.

“I really enjoyed this season. We’ve had a great team, we’ve had a great tour with lots of good results from the athletes. It’s quite a young team coming through with some good energy and I had the best year.

“I’m so grateful for all the support I receive from everyone at Paddle Australia, from the community, all those people who put in the work to run the races at Penrith, our volunteers, our officials, my family and our team of coaches and this evening has been wonderful to celebrate everyone who’s a part of it.

“Thank you to the whole Paddle Australia staff, our slalom team for the amazing evening and congratulations to all the other award winners and finalists.”

Fox dedicated her award to her late grandfather, her mother Myriam’s father and French Olympic medal winning slalom coach Albert Tobelem, who passed away in Marseille, France last week.

“I would like to dedicate this to my pépé Bebert, who I know was very proud of us and I know Noemie (Fox) and I will always be on the water and he will be with us.”

Fox also received the Coach of the Year Award on behalf of her mother and National Canoe Slalom Coach Myriam Fox (NSW), who was recognised for the success of her group of female athletes this season with all of them posting career best performances.

“Thank you very much on behalf of Myriam, who unfortunately can’t be with us tonight as she had to head to France. Her dad, my grandfather, was a massive influence on her as an athlete and as a coach and we are here because of him. He was at the riverbank until the very end and mum’s got the same passion and the same drive as him. She gives a lot to her sport and her athletes and I’m looking forward to another great year ahead and another two years as well,” Fox said paying tribute to both her mum and grandfather.

The Paddler Of the Year – Olympic as well as the President’s Award recognise a season of a life-time for Jessica Fox, who wrote sporting history this year, breaking several records in the process and becoming the most successful individual slalom paddler and greatest female slalom paddler in the history of the sport – all at the young age of 24.

Jess started the international season with a bang and a “triple double” World Cup win, becoming the first athlete – male or female – to win the C1 and the K1 consecutively at three World Cups. Her breath-taking success continued when she took home the 2018 World Cup crown in both the C1 and K1.

But she topped it all by winning double gold in the women’s K1 and C1 at the 2018 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships and finishing the season unbeaten in a boat class (C1) – a feat never achieved by anyone else in the sport – men or women.

Her double golden World Champion crown brought her individual World titles to seven as well as her overall World Champion titles tally to nine (including team events).

This makes Jessica Fox the most successful individual slalom paddler and the most successful female slalom paddler of all time and puts her in great stead as she prepares to go for her first Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020. And with the C1 new on the program in Tokyo 2020, there will even be the chance for double gold.