Jess Fox leapt into the water to salute her sister Noémie, so often in the shadow, now with a golden lustre all of her own (2024)

There are many ways to describe the new Olympic sport of kayak cross.

Only one of them seems apt though: Chaos.

Noémie Fox may use a few other words. Joyous. Beautiful. Golden.

The 27-year-old's thrilling victory in the kayak cross ensured that she unshackled herself from her sister's legacy and added to a family medal tally that eclipses some nations.

"It just feels like a dream," Noémie told Channel Nine.

"I can't believe it's mine [the gold medal].

"Today just panned out to perfection.

"I never stood down my guard. I just kept fighting.

"It's a dream come true."

Being in the shadow of a sibling is a most uncomfortable place to be, forever compared, even if it's only through your own warped perception.

And when your sister is renowned as one of the greatest paddlers the world has ever seen, her golden lustre casts an awfully big shadow.

Jess Fox has made white water canoe and kayak events must-watch for Aussies during recent Olympic cycles, backing up the efforts of her Olympian father and mother to create an Anglo-French dynasty that is reaping its rewards for Australia.

Now Australia has a new name to shout from the rooftops: Noémie, and it should be shouted as loud and proud as any at these Games.

Nobody has had to fight harder with seemingly no avenue for success for as long as the younger Fox sister.

With each country limited to a single quota spot at the Games until now thanks to the introduction of kayak cross, Noémie has always had big sister Jess standing in her way — arguably the greatest paddler the world has ever seen.

That sort of pressure could crush the unwary.

Noémie wore it as a badge of honour.

"To see [my family] in the stands every single day, it wasn't pressure, it was just more so like, 'Wow, they're having the time of their lives and I am too'," she told Nine.

"I enjoyed every single second of racing, of just being here, the privilege of being at the Olympics and showing up in your best form mentally, physically and enjoying it.

"It's just it's the only thing you can really hope for.

"And this is the biggest possible reward. It's unreal. It's just insane."

With 14 world titles, now owner of three Olympic Games gold medals, the older of the two Foxes said that seeing Noémie reach her maiden Olympics was "one of the best days of my life".

And it was clear that Jess loved nothing more than to see her sister take glory at the Games, especially when it was down to her brilliance that she had been denied a spot for so long.

"I'm just full of emotion," Jess told Channel Nine.

"It's just incredible what Noémie did today to make it through each round with such composure.

"I'm so proud of her … it's amazing."

"I was so nervous [during the final]. I just wanted her to do a good race.

"I was just 'fingers crossed' like this the whole way down for a medal, and she nailed it."

Jess, who had been knocked out of contention on Sunday, was right there alongside her little sister, racing along on the side of the course, screaming her heart out in quarterfinals, semifinals and final.

"I'm just in awe of her," Jess told Nine.

"What a moment for our family. What a moment for these Games.

"The whole team, we've come away with three gold medals, and that's so special."

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Kayak cross is an unforgiving and remarkable format.

Jess Fox entertains, and more often than not, wins her paddle events with a thrilling mix of power, precision and guile as she works her way through the turbulent flows and awkwardly positioned gates of the course.

It looks hard enough as it is, fighting the water, her craft, and the clock in pursuit of gold.

Kayak cross, on the other hand, removes one of those elements but adds three more — other people, all trying to do the exact same thing as you.

There doesn't seem to be enough space — four paddlers all trying to squeeze through a gap intended for one, a jumble of paddles and kayaks and arms and bodies thrashing in the turbid current.

Those familiar with snowboarding or ski cross from the winter sports world may have an idea of what this sport is like.

In many ways it offers many of the same challenges — except the snow isn't trying to beat you up at the same time.

Seeing this intense event for the first time makes you realise just how impressive it was for Noémie Fox to qualify for these Games at all.

The younger of the two Fox sisters had to fight her way through five do-or-die races in a row at the final Olympic quota race in Prague to earn her spot at a first Olympics.

Given how difficult it is to come out on top in just one race, where success or failure can hinge on numerous uncontrollable factors, such as contact from other paddlers knocking you off course, achieving success repeatedly is like rolling a dice and getting a six five times in a row — inside a washing machine.

Of course, the best way to avoid any drama would be to get out in front and, as much as possible, stay out of the way of everyone else, and in her quarterfinal that's exactly what Fox did.

Racing away out the starting ramp, opting to take the right-most option instead of the left at one of the gates and powering downstream to claim victory.

That wasn't the case in the semifinal, or the final, though.

In the semi, Fox had to fight, from last at one point to go through and win after some really tough tussles through the course.

But she got there, into the final, with Jess leaping and jumping on the side of the course as Noémie covered her mouth in disbelief.

The final was just as hectic, just as tense and just as thrilling.

After French favourite Angèle Hug took the race out, Noémie had to battle to get on level pegging.

"I was just screaming, we were both screaming," Jess said.

But she didn't panic, not even with the entire Australian paddling community screaming her on from the sidelines.

She took the lead with a clean upstream gate and launched herself forwards to glory.

"I'm so happy for her … it's just a fairytale ending for these Olympics," Jess said, after flying into the water with her mother, Atlanta bronze medallist Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi.

"It's unbelievable."

In the most fitting finale imaginable, Jess threw herself into her sister's arms as the realisation of a shared dream came to fruition in the greatest possible way.