Paddler Jessica Fox, a former Blaxland High student, has shown she’s a force to be reckoned with just weeks before her second Olympics.
Competing in the U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships in Krakow, Poland, Fox won her third consecutive U23 K1 (kayak single) title on July 17, blitzing her rivals to win by more than three seconds.
A day earlier she won her third U23 non-Olympic C1 (canoe single) world title, also by more than three seconds.
“It was great to have another race before the Olympics to test a few things I have been working on,” Fox said, speaking to the Gazette from Europe.
“I had World Cup races in June but the U23 World Championships is a much longer program, and while there aren’t as many women racing the Olympics at the U23 Worlds, it was still a tough race as there was a lot of pressure and expectation on me to win it.”
Fox has been in Europe for four months preparing at different venues and testing herself in competition.
"I can be confident with my racing approach and now it’s just about working on some technical skills and making sure I’m doing all the little things right that can make up that one per cent - nutrition, stretching, physio, mental rehearsal etc,” she said.
She flew to Rio at the weekend and will begin training at the Olympic venue in Deodoro, meeting up with her Olympic team-mates, including Ian Borrows and Lucien Delfour, also from Penrith Valley Canoeing.