With the pressure off, Fox turns Australian cheerleader
Jessica Fox will spend the rest of the Paris Olympics cheering on her Australian teammates after winning two gold medals.
Jessica Fox during the Women’s Kayak Singles heats at Vaires-sur-Marrne Nautical Stadium – during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, France, July 27, 2024. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
The only weight Jessica Fox happily bears now is the heaviness of the two Olympic gold medals hanging from her neck.
As much as she cried after failing to reach the quarter-finals of the kayak cross on Sunday, the pressure is now off and Fox can fully enjoy her ceremonial role as the Australian team flag bearer.
Fox will spend the rest of the Games cheering on her compatriots – especially her younger sister Noemie on Monday in the kayak cross – before taking the team charter flight home.
While there will also be a mountain of media commitments, it is mission accomplished.
“There was definitely a lot of pressure, a lot of expectation. Add in the flag bearer role – that’s an absolute honour and privilege to be in that role and to lead our team – but with that also comes an extra layer,” she said.
“When I managed to win the kayak race, there was so much joy in that moment, to finally achieve that. When I did it for the canoe, it was just disbelief – intense emotion, sharing that with everyone.
“Today, when I did my post-race interview and I realised it was the end of my Olympic campaign, it hit me. There was an emotional release, there were tears, there was relief.
“(There is) a bit of disappointment from today, but overall just so much pride and satisfaction.”
Fox is now a three-time gold medallist and one of Australia’s most famous Olympians. Once she has a break, the 30-year-old will consider what comes next.
“I’ve always been really self-motivated in the sense that yes, the gold medal is the dream and I love standing on the dais,” she said.
“But I’m always motivated by the performance and what I can do. Yes, I’ve ticked off every box I’ve ever wanted to tick off … but I also love racing.
“Obviously I need a break, that’s important, to come back fresh.
“I love racing and I’m not done yet, that’s for sure.”
She was asked to recall the teenage Jessica Fox who won silver at the London Olympics.
“She probably wouldn’t believe me. Winning that silver medal was a dream come true and I remember thinking ‘is this the only medal I will ever win? I’m 18, I’ve won a silver medal and now I have back it up and try to prove myself’,” she said.
“That little teenager has gone on to do some pretty incredible things and I’ve had incredible support around me. It’s not just me.”
Fox added that compared to Tokyo, when she won gold and silver, Paris had a lighter touch to it despite the immense pressure on her.
“What was different this time around, compared to Tokyo, was that (the) emotion was joy and happiness. There was a lightness about that,” she said.
“Tokyo was heavy – Tokyo was really hard mentally for me to come back after the kayak. I had to dig so deep to bring myself back into a good state … to try to win that gold medal.
“I felt (this time) like I was riding on a high.”
From: Robert Vaughan/AAP
