CANOE SLALOM: Jessica Fox will write Olympic canoe slalom history when she sits at the start line in the heats of the women's canoe single on Wednesday.
It is the first time that the women’s C1 has been added to the Olympic program and the first time Jessica Fox will double up in both the K1 and C1 events at an Olympic Games.
It will also be her second chance to win a medal in Tokyo, after taking home bronze in the women’s K1 on Tuesday. It was her third medal at her third Olympic Games with the women’s C1 giving her the historic opportunity to become one of the first women ever to win an Olympic medal in the women’s C1.
"It's the first time that the women's canoe event is on the Olympic programme and it is huge for our sport to finally have the gender equality and equal number of men and women,” Fox said about the historic moment.
"It's an amazing opportunity to be able to do both events. We fought really hard to get to this point in my sport as women, so I am really proud to be the representative of Australia in the first women's C1 Olympic event. It's a big honour for all the women who fought for us to be in this position.”
The four-time C1 world champion and C1 world number one will go into Wednesday’s heats as one of the favourites and will be last off the start line at 14:42:30 AEST in her first run and at 16:52:30 AEST in her second run. The best 18 out of two runs will progress through to the semi-final.
"I've been competing in C1 since 2010 (in other international competitions) so I'm used to doubling up and doing both events. But there's only a few women doing that here. I think five or six of us are doing both events, so it’s all a new experience for us.”
"In London and in Rio the K1 women got together in front of the Olympic Rings and took a big photo, and this time around we also did it with the competitors in the women's C1, which was very special and I can’t wait to be on the start line with them all on Wednesday.”
Dual Olympian Lucien Delfour will also join the whitewater action at the Tokyo 2020 Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre in the men’s kayak on Wednesday. Delfour’s first run is scheduled for 15:40 AEST, followed by the second at 17:50 AEST with the top 20 out of two runs to progress through to Friday’s semi-finals.
The women’s C1 semi-finals and final are scheduled for Thursday, 29 July, before the men’s K1 semi-finals and final on Friday, 30 July will wrap up the Tokyo 2020 Canoe Slalom competition.
See Wednesday’s race schedule here
Cora Zillich
