Australia’s Jessica Fox made the 2018 World Cup Slalom season all about her.
She started by winning both the C-1 and K-1 races in the first three World Cup of the season, an amazing feat considering that no one had won both in a single World Cup since she did it in 2013!
That put her in position to win both season titles and after a gold and silver medal in the fourth World Cup, she needed only modest finishes to collect both the C-1 and K-1 crowns. She had a tough time on Saturday, as she finished last in the K-1 after missing a gate and incurring a 50-second penalty … but even with Germany’s Ricarda Funk winning for the second straight week, Fox won the seasonal trophy in K-1 by a point.
Saturday’s stunning error didn’t influence her Sunday performance, as she returned to the top of the podium in the C-1 and won the seasonal title with ease, completing a perfect season of five wins in a row.
“It’s awesome, yesterday was the first time I’ve ever won the K-1 title, and to back it up today, it’s awesome to do the double,” Fox said. “It’s very rewarding. I’ve had a great season, I’m super happy with the way I’ve been paddling. But the season is not over yet, we’ve still got the World Championships, and that’s the most important one.”
Slovakia’s Alexander Slafkovsky won the men’s C-1 seasonal title; Czech Jiri Prskavec won the men’s K-1 World Cup title and Czechs Tereza Fiserova and Jakub Jane won the Mixed C-2 to win that seasonal title. Summaries:
ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup Final
La Seu d’Urgell (ESP) ~ 7-9 September 2018
(Full results here)
Men/C-1: 1. Luca Bozic (SLO), 99.84 seconds; 2. Franz Anton (GER), 1:00.05; 3. Denis Gargaud-Chanut (FRA), 101.69.
Seasonal Standings: 1. Alexander Slafkovsky (SVK), 296; 2. Luca Bozic (SLO), 282; 3. Sideris Tasiadis (GER), 268.
Men/K-1: 1. Giovanni de Gennaro (ITA), 93.28; 2. Lucien Delfour (AUS), 93.87; 3. Jiri Prskavec (CZE), 95.62.
Seasonal Standings: 1. Jiri Prskavec (CZE), 304; 2. Mathieu Biazizzo (FRA), 242; 3. Vit Prindis (CZE) and Joseph Clarke (GBR), 222.
Women/C-1: 1. Jessica Fox (AUS), 111.14; 2. Mallory Franklin (GBR), 112.18; 3. Nadine Weratschnig (AUT), 114.72.
Seasonal Standings: 1. Jessica Fox (AUS), 360; 2. Mallory Franklin (GBR), 243; 3. Viktoria Wolffhardt (AUT), 242.
Women/K-1: Ricarda Funk (GER), 102.68; 2. Maialen Chourraut (ESP), 104.45; 3. Franklin (GBR), 105.34.
Seasonal Standings: 1. Jessica Fox (AUS), 3-3; 2. Ricarda Funk (GER), 302; 3. Corinna Kuhnle (AUT), 285.
Mixed/C-2: 1. Tereza Fiserova/Jakub Jane (CZE), 122.05; 2. Yves Prigent/Margaux Henry (FRA), 124.68; 3. Veronika Vojtova/Jas Masek (CZE), 126.06.
Seasonal Standings: 1. Fiserova/Jane (CZE), 335; 2. Prigent/Henry (FRA), 293; 3. Vojtova/Masek (CZE), 288.
