Fabulous Fox sisters headline Australia’s Jewish Olympic successes

Australia is revelling in the glow of its most successful Olympic campaign ever after Paris 2024 officially ended on Monday morning. The land down under, girt by sea and punching above its weight, returned its best ever gold medal haul and finished just one medal shy of the greatest ever medal tally in its Olympic history.

While our heroes will be celebrated with public gatherings in capital cities over the coming weeks, the Australian Jewish community will raise many l’chaims to the athletes who represented us so brilliantly on the world stage.

The collective effort was headlined by the heroics of the Fox sisters in the canoe slalom events, where legendary paddler Jess Fox cemented her standing as the best in the world. Having been bestowed the honour of being one of Australia’s co-flag bearers at the opening ceremony, Fox set out on a mission to clean sweep the three kayak events, including the elusive K1 (kayak) she had been chasing across four Olympic campaigns.

After a flawless final run and a nervous wait as the rest of the competition around her crumbled, Fox not only secured her elusive medal in the K1 but then defended her C1 (canoe) crown in dominant fashion.

But the moment to savour at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, and quite possibly the moment of the Games for the Australian delegation, was reserved for the younger of the Fox sisters, Noemie, who joined her older sister as an Olympic champion.

Noemie emerged from her sister’s shadow after paddling her way to the finish line in the women’s kayak cross event in a dramatic final. It did not take long for the celebrations to get underway, with Jess dramatically jumping in the water to celebrate with her younger sister, followed soon after by mum and coach Myriam and father Richard, who couldn’t leave the Nine commentary booth quick enough.