3 days ago
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Triple Olympic gold medallist Jess Fox has revealed she is recovering from surgery to remove a tumour from her kidney.
The Paris Games superstar dropped the bombshell news on Instagram on Thursday afternoon.
'Last week I had surgery to remove a tumour from my kidney. The surgery went really well and I’m on the mend,' she wrote, adding that she will now be 'cheering from home' instead of competing in World Cup events in Europe in the next two weeks.
'I’m super grateful to the incredible medical staff for their care and expertise – thank you Dr Mohan Arianayagam and his team, and Dr Stephen Nolan, Dr Parrapil, the amazing nurses and physios at Norwest, Dr Scott Reid, my physio Tony and psych Chris, and our Paddle Aus team for their support.
'And of course my wonderful family and friends. It’s been a whirlwind over the last few weeks, but I’m all good - just a couple of gnarly new scars, a bit less kidney, and a whole lot more toughness.
'I’m feeling positive, super grateful and happy to be home.
Jess Fox (pictured with her gold medals from the Paris Olympics) has revealed she had successful surgery to remove a tumour from her kidney
Fox dropped the shocking news on Instagram, complete with a picture of her recovering in hospital after experiencing 'some post-surgery complications'
The 31-year-old will miss World Cup events while she recovers
'Looking forward to taking it easy over the next few weeks as I recover, and building towards being back on the water again.'
Fox's management released a statement saying the procedure was successful, but there were 'some post-surgery complications'.
Her post revealing the news also showed her on the road to recovery as she rested outside, and featured a shot of an illustration of two kidneys that she appears to have drawn and painted, with one of them bandaged up and a caption reading 'thanks doctor!'
There was no clue to the 31-year-old's health battle on her social media.
Just six days ago she posted a range of photos showing her paddling and bushwalking, with a video from a week ago revealing her in training at Penrith Whitewater Stadium in Sydney's west.
In May, Fox also treated her followers to a raw video of her crying in her car after a gruelling indoor training session while wearing an oxygen mask.
She was expected to star at the International Canoe Federation Slalom World Championships in Penrith from September 29 to October 4.
Fox went through a form slump this year, missing the K1 final at both of the opening World Cup events in Europe.
Fox is pictured in training in a photo she posted to Instagram just six days ago
The four-time Olympian has had to withdraw from next month's nternational Canoe Federation Slalom World Championships, which are being held near where she grew up in western Sydney
In the opening race in La Seu in Spain, Fox finished 48th in a field of 50 after incurring a 50-second penalty for missing a gate.
She also missed the K1 final at the second World Cup event in Pau in France, but bounced back at both events to win gold in the C1 races.
'It's funny, people are always almost shocked when you don't qualify for the final, or when you don't win, as when you've done it so many times it's just expected, but actually it's hard every time,' Fox said in June.
'Even the best athletes make mistakes, so it was disappointing, I was upset, I had a good cry about it, and then I just got back on the horse the next day, got back in my boat and had another crack.
'I'm fine-tuning things and I'm still in a training and building phase at the moment before the worlds, and I'm taking in as much info as I can.'
Fox – who split from her long-term French partner Mathieu Biazizzo in December last year – became an all-time Aussie sporting great when she won two golds at the Paris Games to go along with the gold she took out at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
That success saw her in high demand from sponsors including Adidas, Red Bull, Toyota, L’Oreal Paris, Grant Thornton and Sydney Water as she prepares from the LA Olympics in 2028.
Fox is regarded by many as the greatest female paddler of all time and was coached by her mum Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, who was a bronze medallist in the discipline for France at the 1996 Olympics.
Fox's father Richard is a five-time world champion who represented Great Britain at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics.
He also had the rare honour of live calling Jess' gold medal win in the K1 final at the Paris Games.
Fox has also won a total of 22 medals at the Slalom World Championships, including an incredible 14 golds.
Four-time Olympian Fox served as one of Australia’s flagbearers at the opening ceremony in France, a feat she called 'probably the greatest moment of my career.'
