It’s finally official: Noemie Fox will be joining her sister Jessica at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Fox will make her Olympic debut in Paris, with the 27-year-old selected by the Australian Olympic Committee on Monday morning to contest the new discipline of Kayak Cross.
The Leonay resident will join older sister Jess, mother Myriam and father Richard as canoe slalom Olympians.
Fox’s selection comes after she secured a quota for Australia in Kayak Cross by winning silver at the Global Qualification event in Prague in June.
Fox has thrived in the rough and tumble of the new discipline, which sees athletes compete in a time trial for seeding, before four athletes at a time race head-to-head through the slalom course in knockout heats.
Along with silver at the all-important global qualifying event, Fox has also tasted World Cup bronze in Kayak Cross and a host of top 10 finishes this year.
Athletes contesting the K1 and C1 in Paris are also eligible for the Kayak Cross event, meaning Fox and her sister Jess will join the ranks of Australian Olympic sisters to compete in the same event – just the fifth set of Australian sisters selected to contest the same individual event at an Olympic Games.
Chef de Mission for the 2024 Australian Olympic Team Anna Meares welcomed Fox to the team.
“I’m thrilled to announce Noemie on the Australian Olympic Team for Paris,” she said.
“I know how much this moment means to Noemie and the entire Fox family.
“Noemie has earned her place on the Australian Olympic Team, with more than a decade on national slalom teams and countless hours on the water, in the gym, travelling, studying and honing her craft from Penrith to Paris.
“While I know the Fox family is rich with Olympic representation and achievement, Noemie’s selection and achievements are exemplary in their own right. Her grit, determination and poise allows her to stand tall and proud in herself as an individual as well as within the sport and family.
“This selection is hard fought and extremely well earned. I’m proud to welcome her officially to the team for Paris and to being an Australian Olympian for life!”
Born in Marseille, Fox is currently in France finalising her Paris 2024 preparations.
“It’s still hard to find the right words to describe how special this feels,” Fox said.
“For so long the Olympics felt very unattainable as we only have one spot per category in our sport and well – the Greatest of All Time has been a bit of a barrier to entry.
“With an extra three global quotas available in the Kayak Cross for Paris 2024, I had a small opening to go to my first Olympic Games and chased the dream down hard no matter how slim and unattainable it felt. As an athlete, these are the moments you dream about, crossing the line first and all your hard work to pay off at that perfect time – for me that’s exactly what happened in Prague.”
Fox said competing in France – where she was born in 1997 – will feel like a full circle moment.
“In Sydney 2000 we had recently moved from France so I was cheering with French and Australian flags in my new home,” she said.
“Now I’ll be wearing the green and gold in France and it will feel like a home Olympics in some ways.”
The Canoe Slalom competition will be held from July 27 to August 5 at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium – Whitewater Stadium, just 40km outside of Paris.
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.