A sense of family and an unwavering persistence to achieve against the odds are traits that Australian sports fans have long cherished. The 2024 Paris Games provided the perfect example with the Fox siblings, Jess and Noemie, who collectively won three gold medals. Jess won gold in the Women’s Slalom C-1 and the K-1, claiming gold in the event which had eluded her at previous Olympics, while defending her Tokyo title. Noemie had to get past her sister first, which she did, before winning her first gold in the Women’s Kayak Cross.
It wasn’t just the feel-good moment of the 2024 Paris Olympics; it was one of the most significant, if unconventional embraces in Australia’s long and proud Olympic history.
When Jess Fox launched herself into the waters at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium to celebrate with her younger sister, just moments after Noemie had stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight to win gold in the Women’s Kayak Cross gold, it was an image that warmed the collective hearts all the way back in Australia.
No single moment ever sums up an Olympic Games for a country, but this moment – coupled with the individual feats of the two sisters – was theatre in its purest form.
The home-made sign of one young Aussie fan on the banks of the rapids that day said it all – “IF JESS DOESN’T GET YA, NOEMIE WILL”.
The Fox sisters’ achievements in France elevated them into rarefied air, as they joined an exclusive group of siblings across 33 Olympiads to have each won individual gold medals.
The fact that it all took place in the country of their birth made the story even more fitting.
The sisters had been born, three years apart, in Marseilles, France, before moving with their parents to Australia at an early age.
Their passion for the sport was fuelled by their father Richard, a world champion who represented Great Britain, and their mother Myriam, a bronze medallist at Atlanta in 1996.
Fast forward to Paris, 2024, and Jess was preparing to compete in her fourth Olympics, having won gold in Tokyo in the Women’s C-1, as well as winning silver, bronze and bronze in Women’s K-1 at three consecutive Olympics.
She was chosen to carry the Australian flag at the Opening Ceremony, beaming with pride at doing so in the country of her birth.
By the next day, she was back on the rapids again, looking for redemption in the elusive K-1 gold, which she had been cruelly denied when an overwhelming favourite in Tokyo.
She didn’t just win the final, she dominated, and her victory seemed assured even when seven competitors tried in vain to chase her time down.
“It’s been years and years of chasing this dream, of getting really close, of persevering and picking myself back up,” she said after winning gold.
Redemption accomplished; but she wasn’t satisfied. She wanted more.
Later in the week she chased down the time of German competitor Elena Lilik in the C-1, to make it back to back Olympic gold medals in the event.
There had been relief in victory in Tokyo, but this one had been more about joy as her competitive steely glaze gave way to a beaming smile of happiness.
Fox’s mum Myriam praised her daughter’s sense of achievement, saying that “she won’t be beaten by anybody anytime soon.”
Jess’ quest for a third gold medal in Paris Olympics in the new Olympic Kayak Cross discipline ended with in the heats at the hands of her sister Noemie.
“I’m gutted, but at the same time, when you see your little sister win the heat, I was really proud of her,” Jess said.
In the final Noemie made her race-winning move early and never conceded her lead to secure her first Olympic gold medal.
It was a third Fox gold in Paris, but not the one most people had expected.
Jess and her mother-coach Myriam made their way to the end of the course and launched into the water to celebrate with Noemie, as their father Richard called the final on television.
“I enjoyed every single second of racing, of just being here,” Noemie said. “The privilege of being at the Olympics and showing up in your best form mentally and physically.
“I got my moment and it’s my medal and we’re walking away with three gold medals in our family, which is insane.”
Photo courtesy of NewsCorp.