Slalom canoeist Jess Fox has been selected for her third Olympics, named on the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2020.
The 25-year-old will contest the K1 (kayak) following her K1 silver at London 2012 and bronze at Rio 2016, and C1 (canoe) as the event makes its Olympic debut for female competitors.
Fox achieved Paddle Australia’s auto-qualification standard by winning the 2019 overall World Cup titles and medalling at the 2019 World Championships in both C1 and K1 events and was officially selected by the Australian Olympic Committee.
Australia’s Tokyo 2020 Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman welcomed Fox’s selection to her third Games.
“Jess is a phenomenal athlete and ambassador for Olympic sport and it is fantastic to announce her selection to the Tokyo 2020 team,” Chesterman said.
“Jess has an incredible record across her Olympic and World Championships career and I look forward to seeing Jess pursue her goals in Tokyo. With her selection now secured, Jess can focus on her preparations for next year.”
“The addition of women’s C1 in Tokyo not only gives Jess another chance to represent Australia but provides more opportunity for Australians to see an incredible athlete representing the green and gold at the highest level.”
The slalom program consists of four events – C1 and K1 for both men and women, a change from the Rio program of women’s K1 and men’s K1, C1 and C2, with the women’s C1 Olympic debut making Tokyo the first Games with an equal number of women’s and men’s canoe events and athletes.
Fox was ecstatic to lock in her selection for her third Olympic team.
“I still can’t believe it will be my third Olympics,” Fox said. “It’s just as exciting as my first, but I can go in now knowing what to expect.
“Thinking of the Opening Ceremony gets me so pumped and inspired. I left the London 2012 Opening Ceremony with sparkles in my eyes and goosebumps that lasted the rest of the Games, then getting to walk behind Anna Meares in Rio and be part of that atmosphere was amazing – to know I’ll get to do it again in Tokyo is an incredible feeling.”