Jessica Fox has continued her historic run this year and her best season yet after winning both the C1 and K1 overall World Cups at the 2018 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup finals in la Seu d’Urgell, Spain over the weekend.
Jess Fox put the finishing touch on her history-making C1 slalom World Cup season with a fifth World Cup victory in the C1 on Sunday, maintaining her perfect record and sealing the overall season title. No other athlete in the history of canoe slalom has won every race in a season.
Rounding out a strong performance for Australia, 2016 Olympian Lucien Delfour (NSW) took silver in the men’s K1, his first World Cup medal since 2015.
24 hours after securing her first ever 2018 K1 World Cup title, 24-year-old Fox wrapped up the C1 title, just by making the final.
“It’s awesome, yesterday was the first time I’ve ever won the K1 title, and to back it up today, it’s awesome to do the double,” Fox said.
“2018 has been special. To finish off with five gold in the C1 and to put in a really hard run to finish off in La Seu was very special and to win the overall World Cup in both categories is something I’ve never done.
“It’s very rewarding. I’ve had a great season and I’m super happy with the way I’ve been paddling.
“But the season is not over yet, we’ve still got the World Championships, and that’s the most important one.”
The three-time C1 World Champion made sure of the overall win with victory in Sunday’s final, her time of 111.14 putting her just ahead of Great Britain’s 2017 World Champion, Mallory Franklin, on 112.18.
“I’m absolutely thrilled, it’s been an amazing World Cup season,” Fox said.
“I heard that Mallory and Nadine had put down some fast times, so I gave it everything in that race and I’m thrilled to come away with that overall title.”
This has been Fox best season yet and she continues to create history with her performances this year.
Until last weekend’s World Cup 4 in Tacen, Slovenia (31 August – 2 September), the two-time Olympic medallist, had been unbeaten in both the women’s K1 and C1, winning golden doubles at the World Cups in Liptovsky (Slovakia), Krakow (Poland) and Augsburg (Germany), a record without peer in the history of both men’s and women’s paddling
Her unbeaten run in the C1 was completemented by five out of five finals, including three gold and one one silver medal in the K1 this season.
In the men’s K1 Delfour showed he is in good form ahead of this month’s ICF World Championships with a blistering error-free final run in La Seu.
Only Italy’s Giovanni De Gennaro was able to go faster than the Australian.
“It could have been a gold, but it wasn’t quite fast enough and it was close and overall I had a good run,” Delfour said.
“But it’s my first medal in three years, so it’s been a while.
“It does give me confidence for the World Champs in Rio though. I didn’t feel quite ready to race and this week has been quite challenging physically,
“But I was really happy with the way I raced and the way I felt on the water. There’s a bit more work to do in Rio and the city itself is quite challenging. The course there is a bit of a combination of La Seu and London. Two years ago (at the Olympic Games) I found it quite hard to get used to, but I’m hoping I’ll do better this year.”
In the overall World Cup standings Delfour finished 12th after only contesting three World Cups this season (World Cups 2,3+5).
Noemie Fox also made Sunday’s C1 final and found herself in a familiar position, seventh in a C1 final and also placed seventh on the overall World Cup standings after missing last week’s World Cup 4.
“This was the third seventh place in this World Cup series. Overall it’s good because I made three finals, but it wasn’t the performance I was hoping for or that I could have achieved so it’s bittersweet,” Fox said.
“But it’s been a good World Cup campaign and I’m happy to finish with a final.
“We head to Rio in a couple days and I will have a few days off and then get used to the course and adjust as quickly as possible and then make the most of Rio and the World Championships.”
Ros Lawrence finished 13th in the C1 semi-final and finished the overall World Cup standings in the C1 in seventh. In the K1 Lawrence finished the World Cup season ranked eigth.
The Australian team heads over to Rio de Janeiro next to contest the 2018 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships at the end of the month (25 – 30 September 2018).
See ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup Final results here:
https://www.canoeicf.com/canoe-slalom-world-cup/la-seu-durgell-2018/rankings-results
See World Cup Standings here: https://www.canoeicf.com/icf-canoe-slalom-world-cup-standing
Results ICF Canoe World Cup Final Women’s C1
| 1 | Jess Fox (AUS) | 111.14 (2) | |
| 2 | Mallory Frankllin (GBR) | 112.18 (2) | +1.04 |
| 3 | Nadine Weratschnig (AUT) | 114.72 (2) | +3.58 |
| 7 | Noemie Fox (AUS) | 132.20 (8) | +21.06 |
Results ICF Canoe World Cup Final Men’s K1
| 1 | Giovanni de Gennaro (ITA) | 93.28 | |
| 2 | Lucien Delfour (AUS) | 93.87 | +0.59 |
| 3 | Jiri PRSKAVEC (CZE) | 95.62 | +2.34 |
Results ICF Canoe World Cup Final Women’s K1
| 1 | Ricarda Funk (GER) | 102.68 | |
| 2 | Maialen Chourraut (ESP | 104.45 | +1.77 |
| 3 | Mallory Franklin (GBR) | 105.34 | +2.66 |
| 10 | Jessica Fox (AUS) | 150.88 (50) | +48.30 |
2018 Final World Cup Standings K1-Women
| 1 | Jessica Fox (AUS) | 303 |
| 2 | Ricarda Funk (GER) | 302 |
| 3 | Corinna Kuhnle (AUT) | 285 |
| 8 | Rosalyn Lawrence (AUS) | 177 |
2018 Final World Cup Standings C1-Women
| 1 | Jessica Fox (AUS) | 360 |
| 2 | Mallory Franklin (GBR) | 243 |
| 3 | Viktoria Wolffhardt (AUT) | 242 |
| 7 | Rosalyn Lawrence (AUS) | 202 |
| 8 | Noemie Fox | 184 |
