SportsHounds Editor at Large Louise Evans previews the key medal events for the Australians on Day 10 of 16 at the Paris Olympics.
Monday August 5 – potential Australian medals = 1 | Canoe 1 |
Now that the swimming is finished, the medal rush slows.
But don’t forget the secret to Australia consistently finishing in the world top eight on the medal table since the 2000 Sydney Olympics is right there in our national anthem – “Our home is girt by sea” – meaning we’re surrounded by water and we’re good at water sports.
Paddler Jessica Fox has won two gold medals in the canoe and kayak slalom events but won’t be in the aggressive new kayak cross after being knocked out in the heats by her younger sister Noemie.
Noemie was a late qualifier for the Paris Games and is making her Olympic debut but has the form and pedigree to be among the medals.
15:30-17:30 (23:30-01:30 AEST) Canoe Slalom Kayak Cross – Noemie Fox
The kayak cross is a roller derby contested by four paddlers racing each other on the white water course – collisions guaranteed, mouth guards recommended. Noemie will be the fourth member of the Fox family to vie for the medals at an Olympics. Her English father Richard, a 10-time world canoe champion, competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Mum and coach Myriam paddled for France in 1992 and won bronze in Atlanta four years later. She qualified for the Olympics at the June 9 Prague World Cup in Prague, a breakthrough which older sister Jessica said was “up there with winning the Olympics for me, one of the best days of my life”.
Louise Evans is an award-winning journalist who has worked around Australia and the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive for media platforms including The Sydney Morning Herald (eight years), The Australian (11 years) and Australian Associated Press (six years in London, Beijing and Sydney).
A women sports’ pioneer, Louise was the first female sports journalist employed by The Sydney Morning Herald and the first female sports editor at The Australian. Louise went on to work at six Olympic Games, six Commonwealth Games and numerous world sporting championships and grand slam tennis events.
Louise is the Founding Editor of AAP FactCheck, the Creator of #WISPAA – Women in Sport Photo Action Awards and national touring Exhibition and the author and producer of the Passage to Pusan book, documentary and exhibition.
In 2019 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) Queen’s Honour for services to the media and sport and named an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Woman of Influence for services to the arts, culture and sport.
In 2020 she won a NSW Volunteer of the Year Award plus the NSW Government Community Service Award for her women-in-sport advocacy work.
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