Noemie completes Fox hunt as all four family members become Olympians

The Fox family will complete their Olympic haul at Paris 2024 after Noemie, the younger sister of Olympic gold medallist Jess Fox, was named on Monday as part of the Australian paddle team.

Noemie will be the final member of the Fox family to compete at an Olympic Games, after securing an extra quota spot for Australia in the kayak cross at the World Cup event in Prague last month.

Fox’s mother Myriam is a two-time Olympian who competed for France and won bronze at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Her father Richard competed for Great Britain at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, while sister Jess will compete at her fourth Olympics in Paris this month.

Noemie was officially selected on Monday after years of having to battle her sister for Australia’s only spot at previous Games.

“It’s still hard to find the right words to describe how special this feels,” Noemie said. “For so long the Olympics felt very unattainable as we only have one spot per category in our sport ... with an extra three global quotas available in the kayak cross for Paris 2024, I had a small opening to go to my first Olympic Games and chased the dream down hard no matter how slim and unattainable it felt.

“As an athlete, these are the moments you dream about, crossing the line first and all your hard work paying off at that perfect time – and for me, that’s exactly what happened in Prague.”

Noemie Fox competing at the World Cup event in Prague last month.

The kayak cross, where four paddlers compete on the course at the same time, makes its Olympic debut in Paris. It means Noemie and Jess will have the opportunity to compete against each other at an Olympics.

“I’m now the final piece of the puzzle, joining my family of Olympians,” Noemie said. “We really seized every single opportunity to try to make that Olympic dream come true, so to execute the plan is truly the most special win for me, my family and my team – and one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Jess said watching her sister qualify was “one of the best days of my life”.

“It was honestly, probably up there with winning the Olympics for me,” Jess said.

Jessica Fox with her parents Myriam and Richard in Sydney last year.

“I’ve never been so nervous ... I remember in the final when she came out of the last upstream gate, I was just screaming.

“I lost my voice afterwards, and was just crying because she had done it, and it was a really hard thing for her to be able to qualify, and she believed, and she worked so hard and she deserves it so much.

“There was just so much emotion, and joy and love and happiness, for her achieving that dream, to qualify in the spot.

“At the finish line, I jumped in the water and gave her a massive hug, and all the tears and emotion came out.”

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