With today representing the one year to go milestone until the start of the Paris Olympics, Jessica Fox, the defending C1 gold medallist, the reigning world champion, and a proud New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete, provided a heartfelt testimony about the significance of what the next 12 months mean to her.

“It’s one year to go to the Paris Olympics. It doesn’t change much in what I’m doing, I’m still chipping away. I’m trusting the process and I’m working towards the big goals of qualifying to get there first before I can even imagine being on the start line.

The most important things for me to do over the next 365 days, I think, the simple things . . . doing the simple things well, doing the basics well, and believing and working towards being my best self on that day.

I was born in France, in Marseilles, so I have strong ties to France and especially to the south where a lot of my family on my mum’s side is still living. So, we’ve got lots of friends, lots of family. Paris is a pretty special place to imagine an Olympics where they could all be there and support and watch the Games.

It’s incredible to see the vision for Paris 2024 and see what they have planned and the way they want to bring the city to life. It’s going to be an Olympic Games, but it’s going to be, I think, just a celebration of sport and a celebration of Paris.

The monuments that will be the field of play . . . the Seine which will host the opening ceremony . . .  I think there’ll be incredible footage, incredible action. And I’m so excited.

It’s the biggest honour to wear the green and gold, and to sit on the start line and know that I’m representing Australia; everyone back home who’s supporting me. It’s something that I don’t take for granted and it’s a true privilege.

Becoming Olympic champion was the achievement of a childhood dream, but I still feel just as excited and competitive and hungry to be on that stat line. And I still feel like I have more to learn and to improve on. So, I was wondering what that would feel like if I would still feel the same motivation, but it’s definitely still there.”

NSWIS

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