Paris 2024 Olympics - Slalom Canoe - Women's Kayak Cross Final - Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium - Whitewater, Vaires-sur-Marne, France - August 05, 2024. Noemie Fox of Australia reacts with Jessica Fox of Australia. REUTERS/Molly Darlington
PARIS (Reuters) - Australian slalom paddler Noemie Fox knows what Olympic gold medals look and feel like after seeing her sister Jessica win three of them and on Monday she finally got one of her own as the first Olympic kayak cross champion in history.
The 27-year-old younger Fox sister somehow managed to avoid the chaos associated with the thrilling new Olympic discipline to add kayak cross gold to the canoe and slalom golds Jess had already won in Paris, giving the Fox family a clean sweep of the women's canoe slalom medals at the Games.
"It feels surreal, it's crazy that it's mine, you know - experiencing Jessie's gold medal moment in Tokyo, and then the two golds she won here, and you know how much hard work and effort she's put into that, I think you don't really dare to dream this big," Noemie told reporters.
Jess, 30, missed Monday's racing after being drawn in the same heat as Noemie on Sunday. Rather than the one-two finish that would have seen the pair progress, Jess was eliminated, leaving it to Noemie to carry the flag for the family.
"When I knocked her out she said 'take it all the way', and I know that she's such an incredible sports person and the most humble human, she supported me the whole way and really wanted the best for me," Noemie said.
Noemie still had to see off the challenge of the likes of French home-town favourite Angele Hug, who came second to secure the silver, and Britain's world number one Kimberley Woods, who took bronze.
"It was really just focus on your race, focus on your race, it don't doesn't matter what's happening behind you,, and when I saw in the last stop that I was first it was pure joy. There's no words to describe the feeling," she said.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Ediing by Ken Ferris)
