Rocked by missing gold in the K1, Australian canoe slalom star Jessica Fox has bounced back to win the inaugural women’s C1 Olympic gold medal, storming to victory in Toyko.
Fox was “shattered” to take bronze in the kayak event on Tuesday after starting as hot favourite, but clinched her first Olympic gold medal, and fourth medal overall, with her dominant canoe run.
With the C1 added to the Olympic program for the first time, Fox charged through the whitewater course in 105.04 seconds.
Britain’s Mallory Franklin was second, 3.64 seconds behind, and Germany’s reigning world champion Andrea Herzog took the bronze.
In the K1 final, a touch on the second-last gate had proved disastrous, with the two-second time penalty relegating Fox from the gold-medal position.
But this time a determined Fox went through error free, splashing the water with delight after seeing her winning time.
The 27-year-old paddled to embrace her mother and coach Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, who won bronze in the K1 event in Atlanta, and her sister Noemie, who is working at the Games.
Her father Richard finished fourth at the Barcelona Olympics and was back in Sydney working as television commentator on the race.
Richard was thrilled and relieved to see his daughter become Olympic champion after missing the chance to achieve that goal in the K1.
“What happened in the K1 final shattered her,” he said on Network Seven.
“To come back from that … that was so good, she was magnificent.
“The semi today did her a lot of good because she was down – that kayak final rocked her.
“That (C1) was the one to win – the first time in the Games.”
Jessica Fox was a strong advocate for having the women’s canoe race added to the Olympic program in place of the men’s C2, providing gender parity in the sport.
The Australian has long spoken of her ambition to make history as the first Olympic champion in the event.
K1 Olympic champion Ricarda Funk of Germany and silver medallist Maialen Chourraut from Spain didn’t compete in the C1 event, in which paddlers kneel and use one blade on their paddle rather than two as in the seated kayak.
Only eight paddlers did the C1-K1 double, with Fox one of just two to make the final.
AAP
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