On Sunday, Australian canoeist Jessica Fox captured a gold medal in the Women’s Kayak Slalom Single Final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. And her father got to experience the moment uniquely, calling the action as a broadcaster for the Nine Network in Australia.
Richard Fox was quite the canoeist himself, representing Great Britain in the 1992 Summer Olympics. But on Wednesday, he wore the hat of a proud father first and a broadcaster second as he called his daughter’s gold medal victory.
Once Fox realized that his daughter’s time of 96:08 would hold up as the best score of all the competitors in the event, he quickly realized that he needed to leave his commentary responsibilities to celebrate the victory.
“Let’s have a hug,” said Richard Fox to his broadcast partner. “Oh my god, I’m going; I’m going. I’m done.”
It’s obviously hard to fault Fox for his abrupt exit from the broadcast booth. He never quite reached the heights that his daughter did in the sport, finishing in fourth in the lone Olympics appearance he made in the Men’s K-1 Slalom.
Meanwhile, this was Jessica’s first-ever gold medal in the Kayak Slalom event. Her only other gold medal came at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the Women’s C-1 Slalom Canoeing event.
Jessica would go on to repeat in the Women’s C-1 Slalom Canoeing event in this year’s games on Wednesday, her second gold medal of the Paris Olympic Games. So, it’s safe to say that Richard Fox has been emotionally overwhelmed over the past week.
