OLYMPIAN SPOTLIGHT // JESS FOX // Australian Flagbearer, Canoe Slalom K1 Gold Medallist

Seize the Yay

We are so lucky to have had so many wonderful Olympians on the podcast over the years, so to celebrate Olympic fever during Paris 2024 we are throwing it back to some of our favourites who are competing again this year. Olympians aren't allowed to do audio or video interviews from within the Olympic village, so we sadly had to postpone a few follow ups to these that we had locked in. But one thing we love about the podcast is being able to reflect on how far we've come and having a record of how we felt a moment in time. So I hope you enjoy looking back as much as we did!

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I would almost go so far as to say it would be un-Australian not to know who today’s guest is or have shed a tear watching her incredible Olympic performance in Tokyo a few weeks ago. While all our athletes bore the weight of great expectations on their shoulders, having debut-ed at the London Olympics at 18 years old to win silver, then taking a Bronze in Rio, Jess Fox probably faced more pressure than most as she tackled the canoe slalom. Add two Olympic canoeists as parents (one as Jess’ coach) AND the fact that Tokyo was the first ever Olympics to include the C1 class (which you’ll learn about in our chat) for women, and I had a breakdown just thinking about competing. And yet, the legendary Jess charged her way through to a gold medal (just 48 hours after taking bronze in the K1 class) and lived to tell the tale.

If you listen often, you might be able to recognise my fan-girl related babbling – I talk quickly and inarticulately when I get this excited and I was chuffed to have this amazing woman on the show just weeks after her win while she’s already preparing for the World Cup in Spain. Even more so because I know she’s been listening to Seize the Yay since 2019, which blows. my. mind. If you watched Jess at the games and thought her warmth and humility shone through on TV, she is equally as delightful one-on-one and I learnt so much about canoeing, maintaining razor sharp focus and allowing yourself to focus on doing your best rather than winning being your only objective. We also clarified the condom story, among many other chuckles and plays to yay outside of sport – I hope you guys enjoy getting to know our champion as much as I did!

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