Penrith paddling champion Jessica Fox has taken out the Athlete of the Year title at the NSW Sports Awards for a fifth time.
It was a special night for the Fox family with Jessica’s mother and coach, Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, voted Coach of The Year for the first time.
Jessica has previously won the coveted title in 2013, 2017 and 2018 and was a joint winner with swimmer Cate Campbell in 2021.
Jessica was the K1 Slalom World Champion for the fourth time when winning the event at the 2023 ICF World Championships – her 10th career individual gold medal in canoe slalom. She also teamed with sister Noemie and Kate Eckhardt to capture Australia’s first ever World Championship gold medal in the women’s Kayak Team event.
Guiding these successes was Fox-Jerusalmi, a two-time Olympian and a Games bronze medallist for her native France.
Meanwhile, the Penrith Panthers won Team of the Year for a second year in a row, recognising their incredible 26-24 win over Brisbane in the NRL Grand Final.
The NSW Sports Awards wee held at the International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour.
