Fabulous Foxes awarded ‘The Don’ for inspiring Australians

Olympic gold medal winning sisters Jessica Fox OAM and Noemie Fox shared The Don Award at Monday night’s Sport Australia Hall of Fame Inductions & Awards Gala Dinner at Crown Melbourne

The Don Award, introduced in 1998 and named for the Sport Australia Hall of Fame’s inaugural Inductee, Sir Donald Bradman AC, honours an Australian athlete or team whose achievements and example over the past 12 months have most inspired the nation.

The fabulous Foxes, both NSWIS Scholarship athletes, became the first Australian siblings to claim individual Olympic golds, with Jess prevailing in the K1 and C1 slalom events at the Paris Games and Noemie then adding to the remarkable family tally with success on debut in a new event, the kayak cross.

THE DON AWARD WINNERS

Jessica Fox won her second and third Olympic gold medals on the whitewater at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, adding the precious K1 crown that had narrowly eluded her at three previous Games to the successful defence of her C1 title from Tokyo.

Expanding her career haul to three gold, one silver and two bronze medals, the 30-year-old Australian flag-bearer cemented her status as the most decorated Olympic paddler to date.

Yet it was the final race in Paris that added the surprise element to this extraordinary family story. Enter younger sister Noemie.

A decade after first competing internationally, Noemie burst triumphantly into the spotlight with success in the new knockout event, the kayak cross, on her hard-won Olympic debut.

Jessica Fox, NSWIS Scholarship holder, at Penrith Whitewater Stadium

The 27-year-old eliminated Jess in the round stage and overtook then world champion Kimberley Woods in the final to win the gold medal.

The touching sight of an emotional Jess jumping into the water to celebrate her sibling’s unexpected golden moment, combined with the unique nature of what had collectively been achieved by the popular western Sydney sisters, provided some of the most memorable and heartwarming scenes of the Games.

Mum Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, herself an Olympic bronze medallist for France, coaches both athletes. Dad, Richard Fox, a former world champion, was commentating for Australian TV.

Quotes from Jess Fox on sharing The Don Award:

“It’s so special and I know when I received the call, and then when I called (Noemie) afterwards, I said, ‘Do you realise what this means?’ It’s massive and a huge honour.’’

On winning the K1:

“This was my fourth opportunity for the kayak and I didn’t want to let it go. When I got into the start line of the semi-final, I was super-nervous, but I just needed to be top 12. When I crossed the finish line, and I was eight, I was like, ‘That’s fine, you’re in. That was the race you needed to get out of your system. Now you can be free. Now you can be relaxed and go and set the bar high for the other girls to chase’… I want to cross that finish line knowing I left it all out there. It was a good run and I’m proud of myself.’’

On Noemie’s gold medal: 

“I think we were both in shock. I’m so grateful that we got to do that together and that so many people helped us in that moment because there was so much hard work, so much joy and so much inspiration that came from that moment. And it’s so special now to see the impact that it had on so many people back home in Australia. Those who woke up at 3am to cheer at their TVs and all that energy really helped us as well.’’

Quotes from Noemie Fox:

“That’s just a symbolic representation of all your hard work paying off at the right time. Those are the ups you train for, and you just need to start executing it when it happens, and to do so at the end of such a long day of racing, and to do it better than in training. I don’t know if I had just this adrenaline rush, but for me that’s, I think, what I’m most proud of in my whole Olympic campaign is that moment. Handling pressure, crossing the line and just being in shock.’’

On sharing The Don Award:

Noemie Fox celebrates winning the Olympic gold medal, Paris

“It’s still really hard to find the right words to think of my name next to all those previous award winners that are not only icons of Australian history, but also just sporting heroes for us growing up – especially Ian Thorpe, Cathy Freeman around that Sydney 2000 Olympics. For me, I just can’t think that my name is going to be on that same page with them. It’s an amazing, amazing feeling and recognition.’’

SAHOF Selection Committee chair Bruce McAvaney OAM said: “It’s always difficult to isolate the most inspiring sporting performance in any year but even more so in an Olympic and Paralympic year – and especially when you’ve come off the best performance yet by an Australian team.

“But whichever way we looked at it, the Fox sisters – and indeed the entire family – were the most remarkable. Jess, already a legend, confirmed her greatness in Paris and for Noemie to compete against her and then join her as a gold medallist at the same games is what Hollywood script writers dream about.’’

The Don Award and The Dawn Award, presented to Lauren Jackson AO, are awarded annually by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Selection Committee. The 2024 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Gala Dinner also hosted tributes to the newly Elevated Legends Geoff Hunt AM MBE and Michael Milton OAM and the eight Inductees for 2024.

The new Athlete Members are three-time world surfing champion Mick Fanning AO; former Kookaburras’ captain Mark Knowles OAM; lawn bowls trailblazer Karen Murphy AM; Olympic hurdles gold medallist Sally Pearson OAM; motor sport superstar Mark Skaife OAM; and dual-sport Paralympics champion Liesl Tesch AM.

Entering SAHOF as General Members are Gerry Ryan OAM, whose impact and philanthropy has extended from cycling to many sports, and visionary basketball administrator the late Betty Watson OAM.

Sport Australia Hall of Fame