Olympic champion Jess Fox is back in training as she prepares to defend her paddling crown at the Paris Games next year.
The 29-year-old will be hoping for an early 30th birthday present in Paris, as she aims for back-to-back Gold in the C1.
“We’re back into training. It’s pre-season at the moment so it’s always a bit tough at this time of year,” Fox said.
She said being able to train at Penrith Whitewater Stadium – the Australian team’s training base – was a huge advantage ahead of a busy 2024 calendar, highlighted by the Olympics.
“For us having the opportunity to train on such good quality Whitewater and to be able to change obstacles to mimic the Paris course will be really helpful,” she said.
Fox is also training for Kayak Cross, an exciting combination of all of canoeing’s whitewater disciplines that sees four athletes race each other at the same time. It will make its Olympic debut at Paris next year.
“I’m still finding the balance with Kayak Cross on training alone to work on the skills and the technique around the gates and work on the feel and the physical element and then getting the tactical training in where you’re doing some head-to-head sparring, you’re doing different scenarios,” she said.
“I’m not doing too much of it – I’m doing it two to three times a week, because the injury risk is still really high. I learn a lot in the competition setting… doing video review of this year’s races will be really important.”
Fox is carefully managing her training schedule, especially with Kayak Cross now on her mind as well as the C1 and K1. However, the variety in training helps with the workload.
“I think burnout is something you need to be mindful of but I’m pretty close with my coach and I think she can see when I start looking tired and drained and burnt out,” she said.
“I’m at the point where I know my body and I need to know the warning signs as well when I need to tone it back, have a rest and come back fresher and I think keeping the mind fresh is really important and for me that variety helps with that.”
Troy Dodds is the Weekender’s Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.
