Australia’s Fox wins women’s kayak singles gold; family’s first win in event after 4 previous medals

VAIRES-SUR-MARNE, France (AP) — Australia’s Jessica Fox completed a journey her mother started more than three decades ago.

Fox finally won an Olympic gold medal in women’s kayak singles for the family on its sixth try. She’d placed second in 2012 and third in 2016 and 2021 in the whitewater event. Her mother, Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, was a bronze medalist for France in 1996 after not placing in 1992.

It meant even more for Fox because she topped the podium in her mother’s home country and the nation where she was born. Fox was born in Marseille, France before the family moved.

She said the packed crowd gave her an extra boost.

“It’s very special with this French connection.” Fox said. “And to feel the energy from the crowd, the atmosphere and just the whole Olympic Games here in Paris -- the energy has been electric. I’ve been chasing this for few years. And my mom before me was chasing this gold medal in ’92 and ’96. So to achieve it in Paris is just very special for our family.”

Fox won canoe singles in 2021, making this her second Olympic gold medal. Poland’s Klaudia Zwolinska placed second and Britain’s Kimberley Woods was third.

Germany’s Ricarda Funk, who won gold in kayak singles in 2021 and had the best time in semifinal qualifying, missed a gate for a 50-second penalty in the finals and finished 11th.

Fox said she was nervous during Sunday’s final until the end because in 2016 and 2021, she made costly mistakes late.

“I was just so happy to put down a clean run and get through those last three gates because that’s where it came unstuck for me, Rio and in Tokyo,” she said. “So once I got out of the last gate, it was all sprint to the finish and being proud of the run that I’d done, whatever the outcome. But to see gold today was amazing.”

More gold could be on the way for Fox. She’ll also compete in canoe singles and kayak cross.

American Evy Leibfarth, who finished fourth out of 25 competitors in heats on Saturday, finished 15th on Sunday and missed the final. She struggled at times and got a two-second penalty during the race. But even without the penalty, she would have just missed the top-12 finish required to compete for gold. She finished 12th in the event in Tokyo at age 17.

Leibfarth will also compete in canoe slalom and kayak cross.