Kayak (K1) Women: preview facts

RIO DE JANEIRO - Jessica FOX (AUS) hopes to become the first athlete representing Australia to win a gold medal in canoe slalom. She will compete in the kayak (K1) women's event, which starts on Monday 8 August at Whitewater Stadium.

FOX won the world title in 2014 and took silver in this event at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

FOX could become the first non-European athlete to win gold in an individual canoe slalom event. Joe JACOBI (USA) and Scott STRAUSBAUGH (USA) are the only non-Europeans to have won a canoe slalom gold medal, in the men's C2 at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games.

FOX is also three-times world champion in canoe single (C1) women (2013, 2014, 2015), an event that is not held at the Olympic Games.

Both of FOX's parents, Richard FOX (GBR) and Myriam FOX-JERUSALMI (FRA), also competed at the Olympic Games in kayak events with mother FOX-JERUSALMI claiming bronze in the women's K1 at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.

Only France (4) has claimed more medals in this event at the Olympic Games than Australia (3).

Marie-Zelia LAFONT (FRA) won the most recent world cup event in kayak (K1) women, in Pau on 19 June 2016.

Australian athletes have never won gold: FOX (2012), Jacqueline LAWRENCE (AUS) at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Danielle WOODWARD (AUS) at the Barceloa 1992 Olympic Games all grabbed the silver medal.

In all four canoe slalom events combined at the Olympic Games, no NOC has collected more medals without winning a single gold than Australia (S3-B1).

Stepanka HILGERTOVA (CZE) with two gold, Elena KALISKA (SVK) with two gold and Dana CHLADEK (USA) with one silver and a bronze, are the only athletes to have won multiple medals in the women's K1 at the Olympic Games. They could be joined by FOX and Maialen CHOURRAUT (ESP), who took bronze at London 2012.

Katerina KUDEJOVA (CZE) hopes to step in HILGERTOVA's footsteps by winning the women's K1 at Rio 2016. She already won this event at the 2015 world championships in London.

HILGERTOVA was the last athlete to win the gold medal in K1 women as reigning world champion. She did so at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.