Jewish Australian kayaker takes silver medal

SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) – A Jewish Australian kayaker won a silver medal at the Olympic Games.

Jessica Fox, the daughter of French Olympian Myriam Jerusalmi, who won bronze at the Atlanta Games in 1996, trumped her mother by winning silver in the slalom (K1) on Aug. 2.

Born in Marseille, Jessica Fox moved to Australia at the age of four when her British father Richard – who came in fourth in the same event at the 1992 Olympic Games – was appointed coach of the Australian kayak team before the Sydney Olympics.

“My mum won bronze in Atlanta and now here I am winning silver, it’s an amazing thing to share,” Jessica Fox told media after the final.

Myriam Jerusalmi Fox, who was also a multiple world champion, said Sunday of her daughter’s feat: “I think I’m still on the cloud; we all are.”

She said she was a guest of the French team to the 1997 Maccabiah Games and has many cousins in Israel.

“I would like to take them [my family] to Israel to meet all the family and visit the country.

Jessica Fox, 18, was the youngest of the finalists. She capsized on day one, before recovering to make the semis and then the final, and at one stage was in the lead. But she was beaten to the gold medal by Emilie Fer from France by just over half a second.

Fox is the second Australian Jew to win an Olympic medal, after baseball player Gavin Fingleson, who won silver in Athens.