‘Means so much’: Fox sisters’ special honour

A world championship gold medal so close to home would mean “so much” to Olympic champion Jess Fox, who has had an island named in her honour at the Penrith site where she’ll compete with her superstar sister Noemie in 2025.

The federal and NSW governments have committed $3.2m for Paddle Australia to host the canoe slalom world championships at Penrith’s Whitewater Stadium in Sydney in October 2025.

The Fox sisters, fresh off their success at the Paris Olympics, will be included among 300 athletes from 50 countries who will compete in 10 events, including canoe and kayak singles, canoe and kayak teams and kayak cross, in front of an estimated 20,000 spectators.

In honour of their triumph in Paris, the NSW government has also announced the island in the centre of the whitewater stadium will be named Fox Island as a permanent testament to putting paddling sports in the headlines.

Having watched athletes compete on the same course nearly 25 years ago in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Jess Fox said it was hard to believe what her legacy would become.

“I remember being a six-year-old in the stands for Sydney 2000 and an 11-year-old in the stands when the world championships were here in 2005, so to have that legacy 20, 25 years on, for me it means so much,” Jess said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the renaming of the island was a fitting honour for the Olympic legends.

“A large part of Australia’s most successful Olympics performance in history came down to two girls from Penrith, Jess and Noemie Fox who honed their skills through countless hours on the rapids here at Penrith Whitewater Stadium,” he said.

The Penrith stadium is undergoing a $3.1m upgrade to make it fit for purpose for the 2025 championships.