Jessica Fox had kidney tumor removed in August. This week, she won canoe slalom gold

Jul 22, 2026 - 11:00

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Jessica Fox blinked her eyes and fought back tears not only because she was mere moments from having another gold medal draped around her neck but also because she was mere months removed from being in the hospital.

“Oh!” she said after winning gold earlier this week at the world championships in Oklahoma City. “I didn’t think I’d get emotional.”

That she did was completely understandable.

There is no bigger star than Fox at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships at the McClendon Whitewater Center. In addition to being the first female in the sport to win three Olympic gold medals, the 32-year-old Australian is the only person, male or female, to win six Olympic medals in canoe slalom.

Fox is the Simone Biles of canoe slalom.

But just last August, she was in a Sydney hospital having a tumor removed from her kidney. It was benign, but the surgery plus a collapsed lung left her in the intensive care unit for a week.

When Fox was finally cleared to start getting out of bed, she needed assistance even to stand up.

Paddling a canoe or kayak? Navigating the whitewater rapids?

That day seemed far away.

But on the first day of world championships, Fox walked away with gold in the kayak cross time trials. It was a sign not only that she is back but also that she will be a top contender in the canoe slalom events held in OKC during the 2028 Summer Olympics.

“It was such a big, big year,” she said, “and I wanted to get back out here and race with so much joy and gratitude. Gratitude for what my body can do and for everyone who helped me get back to this point.”

Fox knew there was no guarantee she would return to the podium at any point, much less 11 months removed from her surgery. Much of canoe slalom’s secret sauce, after all, involves strong core and cardio.

Fox had to rebuild both after her hospital stay.

At first, she had to work extra hard to walk for even 10 minutes, and she had four scars on her torso, three above her belly button and one below it. None was longer than a couple of inches, but the healing kept her from lifting or conditioning at a world-class level.

Last September, Fox had to make the difficult decision not to compete at the world championships for the first time in 15 years, a choice made even more difficult by the fact the event was being held on her home course in Australia.

“I’m absolutely devastated to be missing this one — a world championship on my home course where I first watched my heroes at the Sydney Olympics, saw the first Aussie world title by Rob Bell in 2005, the course where I’ve grown up and learnt to paddle, trained every day to be the best,” she wrote at the time on her Instagram account. “A home worlds is a once-in-a-career opportunity, and I was so excited and looking forward to it.”

Instead of competing, Fox volunteered at last year’s worlds.

But in this year’s worlds, she’s back to winning hardware.

“I didn’t expect to be on the podium,” Fox said. “But I think what I can expect from myself is that I’m always willing to have a go, and I’m always willing to give my best and push hard and have fun out there.”

Fox’s sister, Noemie, an Olympic gold medalist in her own right, was a bit more bullish.

“She’s just insane to recover so quickly and find her form again,” Noemie said of Jessica. “To just find a lot of enjoyment as well in the process and learning how to paddle again, it’s amazing.”

She chuckled.

“It’s sort of frustrating because you’ve been here the whole time training and now you’re behind her,” Noemie said with another laugh. “She’s honestly amazing, and I think her biggest thing is she just really trusts her ability and that she’s done the hard work and doesn’t overcomplicate things.”

Even when life was complicated.

Fox spent a lot of time journaling when she was recovering, then returning to the water. She wanted to focus on things that were good for her soul and keep her thoughts and emotions positive.

That has carried over.

“I came in with open-mindedness and gratitude,” Fox said, “and just a hunger to get back out there and do well.

“So happy to be back.”

Those emotions, after all, were tears of joy.

Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jessica Fox had kidney tumor removed in August. This week, she won canoe slalom gold