Jessica Fox heartbreak at missing home world championships

Jessica Fox has confirmed she will miss the canoe slalom world championships in Penrith later this month, describing the decision as “absolutely devastating”.

The three-time Olympic Gold medallist underwent surgery last month to remove a kidney tumour and had been racing the clock to return in time for the September 29–October 4 event. Despite steady recovery, the 31-year-old revealed she won’t be fit enough to race.

“For the first time in 15 years, I won’t be on the start line at the world championships. Unfortunately, I just won’t be ready in time. I need to put my health and recovery first after surgery,” Fox wrote on Instagram.

 

 

“I’m absolutely devastated to be missing this one – a world championship on my home course where I first watched my heroes at the Sydney Olympics, saw the first Aussie world title by Rob Bell in 2005, the course where I’ve grown up and learnt to paddle, trained every day to be the best. A home worlds is a once-in-a-career opportunity, and I was so excited and looking forward to it.”

Fox has already secured her place among the sport’s greats, with 14 world championship titles to her name, including the K1 crown and the women’s team gold won in 2023. She added that while she could not compete in Penrith, she would be the “best cheerleader I can be” as she supported her teammates from the sidelines.

Her father, Richard, head of the host organising committee, said her health had to come first. “When she had the operation there was still a decent block of time, but from a medical point of view it was a long shot,” he said. “She’s moving around, and the recovery is going well, but she’s not on water by any means, and it’s so important to come back well.

“She’s come to terms with it. You don’t rush these things – you take your health first and your sport comes second – and that sort of took a bit of time to fully digest. The worlds are going ahead, and she’s not going to be racing; that’s clear, but she will be the biggest cheerleader out there, supporting the rest of the team.”

While Fox’s absence robs the championships of its biggest star, the event will still feature her younger sister Noemie, who won gold in the kayak cross at the Paris Olympics and now headlines the women’s squad, alongside fellow Olympians Tim Anderson, Tristan Carter and Lucien Delfour.

The Penrith meet has attracted 300 international athletes and marks the first time the world championships have been held in Australia in 25 years.

Fox has long been honoured within the Jewish sporting community. From 2014 to 2019 she has been named Maccabi World Union Australia’s Outstanding Jewish Sportswoman. She and her sister Noemie jointly won the Don Award in 2024, one of Australia’s highest sporting honours, for inspiring the nation.

Though she’ll miss these home worlds, Fox has set her sights firmly on a comeback, targeting a full and fit return to top-level competition in 2026.