Australian Olympic great Jessica Fox has shown steely resolve to win gold in the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup event in Germany.
Arriving in Augsburg on the back of her double gold at the previous World Cup round in Prague, Fox had to refocus after finishing 16th in the standings in the K1 event and missing the final.
Despite posting a time that would have placed her sixth, she was pinged for hitting the second and 13th gates.
On the comeback trail after surgery to remove a tumour from her kidney nine months ago, Fox was back to her best in the C1, an event in which she has won two Olympic golds.
The 32-year-old qualified second fastest for the women’s C1 final behind Andorra’s Mònica Dòria and stormed to victory in the 12-strong medal round.
While she picked up another time penalty on the second-last gate of the challenging course, Fox finished 2.34 seconds ahead of Spain’s Núria Vilarrubla, while her younger sister, Noémie Fox, placed fifth.
“It’s the best feeling,” Fox said.
“I was disappointed yesterday not to make the final in the kayak, so to come out on this course today and put together a winning run means a lot.
“This course constantly makes you question your decisions and your line choices, but I managed to piece everything together.
“The touch near the bottom was probably the only thing stopping it from being a perfect run, but overall I’m really pleased.”
Fox is set to start favourite in the C1 for the World Championships next month in Oklahoma.
AAP
