Australian canoeist Jessica Fox wins second gold in Paris 2024

Vaires-sur-Marne. Australian canoe slalom star Jessica Fox claimed her second gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Wednesday, pulverising her rivals in the single canoe (C1) event, three days after winning the gold medal in the single kayak (K1).

Despite a two-second penalty for touching gate 19, the Australian finished her descent in 101.06 seconds and became the first woman to achieve the Olympic double in kayak and canoe. Germany’s Elena Lilik, in 103.54 seconds, took silver, almost six seconds ahead of the American Evy Leibfarth, bronze (109.95).

Fox, 30, defended her C1 gold from Tokyo three years ago and thus added the sixth Olympic medal of her career. She won her first medal in London 2012, with a bronze in K1 and four years later, in Rio 2026, she improved her result with silver in the same category.

In Tokyo, she began to extend her legend with the first women’s gold in C1, a category reserved for men until then, as well as the bronze in K1. In Paris 2024 she could even win a third medal in the kayaking (KX1) event.

Germany’s Elena Lilik, 25, whose best result to date was the C1 World Championships won in 2021, burst into tears as she crossed the finish line and saw her time, knowing that she was already in the fight for medals.

The rivals were passing by and other big favourites, such as Andorran Monica Doria (6th, 113.58 s) were unable to beat her time. Fox, second to last to start the course, was behind in the first sector, but soon improved Lilik’s time to cross the finish line as provisional first.

It was still the turn of Czech Gabriela Satkova, the fastest paddler during Tuesday’s qualifying heats and Wednesday’s semi-final, which placed her as Fox’s closest rival for gold.

However, the Czech rider piled up her mistakes after a penalty at gate two, and had to back down several times, losing more and more seconds that put her out of the fight for the podium. Seeing her time at the end of the course (7th, 114.22) and aware of the missed opportunity, she burst into tears. Among the other participants, Brazilian Ana Sátila was fifth and Spanish Miren Lazkano finished in tenth position.