Noémie Fox joined her sister Jess as an Olympic gold medallist after her fearless taming of the whitewater at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, where she won all three kayak cross races the day after she progressed from a heat that ended her sister’s hopes of a third gold medal in Paris.
In a dramatic final, Fox enjoyed the favourable right-side starting position, and was second behind Team GB’s Kimberley Woods after the initial exchanges. But a brilliant eskimo roll – mandatory in the event – saw her take the lead, and she was able to head off a late challenge to cross the line first ahead of local favourite Angele Hug, with Woods in third.
Fox said she felt “pure enjoyment” during the final, after being stressed by the earlier rounds. “I spoke with my coach before and he’s like, ‘well you’re here, there’s nothing left to do but enjoy it’,” she said.
“It’s crazy, the most amount of nerves were really on that first round, the first day I thought it was such a hard hit a hard draw, and I was so stressed about it.”
Her coach and boyfriend Titouan Dupras said yesterday was difficult for her. “Where she was against her sister, that was hard for her, really hard for her. But after that, today when she came here to this venue, she was incredible and composed and willing to do the best.”
The afternoon was capped off by Jess leaping into the river to celebrate alongside her sister. Noémie said the pair are each other’s biggest cheerleaders.
“To be able to watch her win two golds and that dream come true, I let myself live every emotion because I didn’t want to deprive myself from that, and be so closed off for my race. It was more so just such a beautiful moment for our sport, for her, for our family.”
Approximately 10,000 rowdy fans produced a carnival like atmosphere on a glorious summer day in Paris, their energy and the drama on the whitewater concluding the sport’s hugely entertaining Olympic programme.
Monday’s gold adds to the Fox family’s medal haul from the 2024 Games, already heavy with two gold medals won by her sister Jess in the kayak and canoe events.
Richard Fox, the father of Noémie and Jess, said her youngest daughter had the right head space all day and raced the final almost perfectly. “You never really have perfect race, but she got a good start, she held her position, she did the terms well, she got challenged, she held the line and she earned that.”
Noémie had only qualified for the Games in June, by winning a silver medal at the Canoe Slalom World Cup 2024 in Prague, Czechia. Australia’s initial quota place had already been taken by her sister, but Noémie – three years younger than Jess – proved she was worthy of the stage after she won the heat on Sunday that eliminated the older sibling.
Noémie has watched her sister compete in the time trial-based events at the Games so far, allowing her to stay fresh the kayak cross. But she had to battle through three races on Monday to win a medal, winning both her quarter-final and semi.
She produced a fine comeback in the semi-final after a slow start left her in fourth place, with only the top two qualifying. But she surged back in the middle stages, beating German Elena Lilik who had finished with silver behind Jess in the canoe single event last week.
It gave her the opportunity to continue her family’s extraordinary record in Paris, and she didn’t disappoint.
In the men’s event, won by New Zealand’s Finn Butcher, Australians Tim Anderson and Tristan Carter were both eliminated in the quarter-finals. Canoe sprint begins on Tuesday on the lake adjoining the canoe slalom course at Vaires-sur-Marne.
