dpa
Paris
Noemie Fox won the inaugural Olympic kayak cross event at the Paris Games on Monday to clinch a gold medal sweep for her family in the women’s events, after her sister, Jessica Fox, had dominated the kayak and canoe slalom races.
Noemie Fox took the gold ahead of Angele Hug from the French home team, and Jessica Fox jumped into the water in joy to congratulate her.
Briton Kimberley Woods earned a second bronze, the first coming in the K1 race, after original third-place finisher Elena Lilik of Germany was ruled to have missed a gate.
“I think I’m in shock. I was just so happy to make it through to the semifinal. That was my goal. Now just go and enjoy it. Today just went to perfection. I enjoyed every second,” the winner said.
“I journal a lot and I knew I had beaten everyone before, and I was trying to bring that. I wanted to do my own race and I did my own race.”
The men’s gold also went to the Antipodes in the form of New Zealand’s Finn Butcher. Joseph Clarke took silver for Britain and Germany got their bronze from Noah Hegge.
“It’s crazy. I don’t believe it yet. Once I got out in front and turned in front, I was like, ‘no way’. Those guys are so good. I’m proud to be the champion. The first one - that’s pretty sick,” Butcher said.
It added to the joy that Fox and Butcher are close friends, and the delighted in each
other’s success.
“”I’m so happy for Noemie Fox. She’s one of my best friends. Go the ANZACs,” Butcher said.
Added Fox: “it’s surreal really, to see one of my best mates win in Finn, it’s just so special.”
While in the C1 and K1 races athletes compete on their own against the clock, kayak cross features four athletes in each race who are launched from a ramp and then fight against each other on the whitewater course.
