Australia’s Jessica Fox has bounced back from one of the most disappointing races of her career to post an emphatic K1 win at the 2017 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Pau, France, overnight.
Fox was left gutted after finishing outside the medals in the women’s C1 on Friday, ending a run of three consecutive World Championship titles in the event.
She scraped into the K1 final last night in 10th place, but then posted an incredible 97.14 in the final which proved unbeatable.
Slovakia’s Jana Dukatova was more than four seconds back in 101.76, with 2017’s overall World Cup winner, Germany’s Ricarda Funk, third in 102.62.
“This one is really special,” Fox said.
“Yesterday was really disappointing and exhausting and draining, and I knew I had to come back today with a fresh start and try and make that final.
“Sometimes in training I’m able to do things to rival the guys, but then in racing I’m too safe. Today I’m really proud of that race because I feel like I attacked it the way I wanted to.”
Fox won her first K1 world title at Deep Creek in the US in 2014, a World Championship where she also won her second C1 title.
But she said this weekend’s win was special.
“2014 in my mind is my best ever performance, winning the K1 and the C1,” she said.
“After the Olympics, I was really pleased and proud to win the bronze, but I was a little bit frustrated.
“So to come back this year to Pau, to deliver a really sweet run after some disappointments here in the past few years, it’s really awesome. I’m just so happy right now.”
Teammate Ros Lawrence made her second individual final of the weekend, finishing seventh.
