“That’s what I’ve been dreaming of”: Fox reflects after claiming pair of Paris gold medals

Overwhelmed with excitement, Jess Fox is riding the winner's high after an incredible performance at the Paris Olympics, where she claimed two gold medals and the honour of being the Australian flagbearer.

In her fourth Olympics, the 30-year-old Australian canoeist will be returning home with gold medals from both the C1 and K1 events. Fox is now a back-to-back gold medallist in the C1 event after winning gold in the event at Tokyo 2020.

As Fox concludes her time in Paris, she reflects on the special moments that made this competition an unforgettable experience.

“It was the most incredible week, being named flag bearer and having that experience. And having the rest of the Aussies on that boat in the historic opening ceremony and then managing to pull it off and win canoe. It’s just been such a dream, and that’s what I’ve been dreaming of is to be able to pull this off,” Fox said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“Absolutely incredible to be able to share this with my family, and to have packed fans and the atmosphere, it’s just been wonderful here in Paris.”

Amongst the excitement of her success, Fox was relieved to claim gold in the K1 and was thrilled that all her hard work had finally paid off in two different events.

“I think coming into these games there was a lot of pressure and expectations to defend the title to win another gold medal, to win two, to win three. Even so, I knew that it was always going to be a really tough race. I just wanted to try and do my best paddling," Fox said.

“I felt so calm. Surprisingly, you know, obviously nervous on the day of the kayak, but really sort of confident once I’d made the final and had an awesome race. It was such a nervous wait. I had to wait like 30 minutes because I was quite early on in the finals, so the weight started to make me doubt myself.

“I was thinking, 'Am I going to be able to do it?'. When it finally happened, it was good enough for the gold medal, I think that’s when it hit me. Just how much it meant to me, just how much I wanted it. How much I felt that I’d worked so hard for that moment that I finally deserved to get it.”

Listen to the full interview below: