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Australian paddling great Jess Fox has won the 21st world championships medal of her unparalleled career, but she had to settle for bronze at canoe slalom's showpiece event in London.
- Fox was third in the women's C1 final
- British pair Mallory Franklin and Kimberley Woods claimed gold and silver respectively
- Fox has the chance to add another medal in the women's K1 final
The Olympic champion in the women's C1 event paid for an early mistake in her final run at the Lee Valley Whitewater Centre and ended up finishing third behind the British pair of gold medallist Mallory Franklin and second-placed Kimberley Woods.
It was a close-run affair, with 29-year-old Fox the fastest to complete the course in 106.94 seconds.
But the two penalty seconds she gleaned from touching the third gate meant she lost out to the home duo — Franklin by 0.89 and Woods by 0.47 — who both had flawless runs.
It was yet another medal in Fox's remarkable career. Of her 21 medals won over a span of 13 years, this was only the third bronze.
Fox won gold alongside her sister Noemie and Kate Eckhardt in the K1 team event earlier at the world titles.
"It's been a pretty crazy world champs so far," Fox said.
"I didn't have the best start in C1, so making the final and getting that Olympic quota spot, that was the goal.
"To come away with a medal is awesome, although I am a little bit frustrated with my touch, which kept me off the top step, but it's still awesome to come away with another medal."
Fox still has a chance to win the 14th world championships gold medal of her career in the K1 final, for which she qualified in second place.
Set to head to her fourth Olympics in Paris next year, Fox said she felt "quite emotional".
"It's been a big build-up and it's never easy to go and get a quota and it was super tight racing this morning so to get that out of the way I'm really relieved," Fox said.
"I'm thrilled to be heading to Paris."
AAP