Noemie Fox has just missed out on a dream start to the ICF Slalom World Championships, finishing fifth in the kayak cross time trials.<\/p>\n
Reigning Olympic kayak cross champion Fox was Australia’s best on Monday but missed out on a podium finish on the first day of the championships at Penrith Whitewater Stadium by 0.12 seconds.<\/p>\n
Swiss paddler Alena Marx set an unbeatable time of 62.09 seconds to take gold.<\/p>\n
Slovenia’s Ajda Novak was second, with Brazilian kayaker Ana Satila in third.<\/p>\n
Jess Fox puts aside shock of surgery to support teammates<\/a><\/p>\n Jess Fox says she’s recovering well from her recent surgery, and while she’s disappointed to miss her home World Championships, she’s willing to play the role of ‘cheerleader’.<\/p>\n Fox posted a time of 63.35 against Satila’s 63.23.<\/p>\n But the Australian will progress to the head-to-head knock-out rounds, among the best 42 across the men’s and women’s kayak cross time trials.<\/p>\n The 28-year-old shapes as Australia’s best hope of a title at home, with older sister and three-time Olympic gold medallist Jess still recovering from an unexpected surgery to remove a tumour on her kidney.<\/p>\n While labelling Monday’s performance as “frustrating” after an early mistake at the first upstream, the younger Fox believes she has never been better prepared to tackle the world championships.<\/p>\n Fox placed better than top seed Kimberley Woods, with the Briton going 15th-fastest.<\/p>\n “It’s bittersweet because I had a big mistake at the top, but then held it together,” Fox said.<\/p>\n “What’s changed is, previously, I know that that could have derailed me or made me feel that the race was lost.<\/p>\n “To be able to come back and not let something like that affect you when you know it was a bit of a time loss, that’s what I’m really proud of.”<\/p>\n Fox said she wasn’t concerned with proving herself in her sister’s absence, feeling she’d already done so at the Paris Games.<\/p>\n