Jessica Fox (AUS) cemented herself as the most successful paddler in K-1 Olympic history by taking the gold medal in an epic final at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
The medal is Fox's fourth in the K-1 and her first gold, closing the only hole in her Olympic resume. She broke a tie with Maialen Chourraut (ESP) for the most medals in the K-1 in Olympic history--man or woman.
Fox laid down a nearly perfect run with a time of 96.08 that was simply unbeatable. After nearly missing out in the semifinals with an uncharacteristic run that included a penalty, Fox went earlier in the final than she is used to. That meant a long wait as she had to watch seven paddlers go after her to see if her time would hold up.
In the end, Fox was simply too fast as the next fastest time was 1.45 seconds off her pace. That time belonged to Klaudia Zwolinska of Poland, who posted a 97.53 to take home the silver, her first Olympic medal and the first for Poland in women's canoe slalom. Kimberly Woods (GBR) took home the bronze with a time of 98.94.
The defending Olympic champion from Tokyo, Ricarda Funk (GER), looked to be on for a medal in her run, but missed a gate and finished in 11th. Only behind her was Chourraut, who missed a gate herself and finished last. The only American in the K-1, North Carolina's Evy Leibfarth, finished 15th and did not make the final.
Fox now has five Olympic medals to her name, tied with Slovakia's Michal Martikan for the most in Olympic history. She will have two chances to become the most decorated canoe slalom paddler of all time -- man or woman -- in the C-1 and kayak cross. If she takes C-1 gold, she would be the first athlete in history to achieve double gold in the K-1 and C-1 at one Olympics.
The women's C-1 final is scheduled for Wednesday at 11:25 a.m. ET, while kayak cross begins Friday at 10:40 a.m. ET.