Canoeing queen Fox says LA Games title defence on track despite health setback
Paris 2024 Olympics - Slalom Canoe - Women's Canoe Single Final - Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium - Whitewater, Vaires-sur-Marne, France - July 31, 2024. Jessica Fox of Australia in action. REUTERS/Paul Childs
MELBOURNE :Australian canoeing great Jessica Fox says her plans to defend her Olympic titles at the 2028 Los Angeles Games remain unchanged despite surgery to remove a kidney tumour.
Fox, who won K1 and C1 golds at Paris and celebrated her sister Noemie taking kayak cross gold, was forced to miss the world canoe slalom championships at her home base in Penrith this week after the health scare.
However, the 31-year-old said the setback would not derail her bid to add to her Olympic haul of six medals.
"LA, of course, is still the goal," Fox told Australian media at the world championships.
"Not being able to race at the worlds just means I can take my time in coming back to full health, getting my strength back and being physically ready again.
"Next year we have the worlds in July so there is plenty of time to be ready for that and then the build-up continues."
With 10 individual world titles dating back to 2013, France-born Fox is widely regarded as the greatest slalom canoeist of all time.
She said she would be putting in a longer pre-season for competition next year to make up for lost time.
Next year's canoe slalom world championships will be held at the Olympic venue for LA28, Oklahoma City's Whitewater Center.
"Next year is our first taste of that Games course in Oklahoma and I'm looking forward to seeing that and discovering how it feels," said Fox.
