New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete, Jessica Fox, returned to the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup podium overnight, winning Women’s K1 silver in La Seu, Spain.

It’s Fox’s third K1 medal so far this season, and along with Friday’s C1 gold, Fox currently has seven medals from four World Cup events this year.

After two penalties in the semifinal, Fox was ranked 10th coming into the final and had to watch nine paddlers go down the course after her, aiming to better her time.

Fox posted the fastest raw time, however one gate touch and a two-second penalty saw Eliška Mintálová’s time 0.06 seconds ahead of Fox, as the Slovakian won her first ever World Cup gold medal. Italy’s Stefanie Horn took the bronze.

“It was a good final run, better than my semi, I fixed up all the errors that I wanted too and really attacked it,” Fox said.

“Unfortunately I attacked it a little too much and got a tiny touch so it was a very tight race.

“Yesterday I won by 0.08 and today I was second by 0.06, so it was all about the fine margins and I’m super happy to be back on the podium again.”

Fellow NSWIS scholarship athlete Timothy Anderson also qualified for the Men’s K1 final, placing 8th.

The final day of racing in La Seu is on Sunday, with the Kayak Cross time trials, heats and finals. Kayak Cross will make its Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics in less than 12 months’ time.

The Australian Canoe Slalom team are on the countdown to the Canoe Slalom World Championships in London, which will take place from 19-24 September 2023. It will be the first opportunity to earn quota spots for the Paris Olympic Games.

The La Seu Canoe Slalom Finals are broadcast live on Kayo Sports. Replay here

For full results and schedules – click here.

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