Australia’s Noemie Fox remains in contention for a medal at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Sydney, despite errors that pushed her down the leaderboard.
The Olympic gold medallist in kayak cross at the 2024 Paris Games produced a blistering run on her home course in Penrith, becoming the only paddler in the 50‑strong field to break the 101‑second barrier. She clocked 100.44 seconds, finishing 1.39 seconds ahead of Spain’s Nuria Vilarrubla, the top‑ranked competitor.
With her sister Jessica Fox, the Olympic C1 champion, sidelined following kidney surgery, Noemie carried the family’s hopes. But two penalties for clipping the second and 11th gates added four seconds to her time, relegating the 28‑year‑old to seventh place ahead of Thursday’s semifinals.
“It was tough, it was great. I felt really good in the warm‑up and just enjoyed it,” Fox said after her run.
Despite the setbacks, her raw pace has reinforced her status as one of Australia’s strongest medals hopes on home waters.
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