Australian canoeist Jessica Fox said she will miss the upcoming World Cup events in Europe after she had surgery to remove a tumor from her kidney last week.
Taking to her Instagram, the three-time Olympic champion canoeist explained that she has “gnarly new scars [and] a bit less kidney” after the successful surgery.
“Life update ❤️???? I won’t be competing in the final World Cups over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be cheering from home instead!” Fox, 31, wrote, including a photo of her in a hospital bed. “Last week I had surgery to remove a tumor from my kidney. The surgery went really well and I’m on the mend.”
Fox thanked “the incredible medical staff for their care and expertise,” as well as her Aussie team for their support.
“And of course my wonderful family and friends ????❤️,” she continued. “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. Looking forward to taking it easy over the next few weeks as I recover, and building towards being back on the water again ????????????.”
Other images showed Fox resting and painting.
“I’ll be here, resting and soaking up the sunshine,” she added.
With six Olympic medals — three golds, one silver and two bronze — and over a dozen gold medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships across the two events, Fox is considered the greatest individual paddler in the history of the sport.
The Australian athlete is the reigning Olympic champion in the women’s C1 (canoe) and women’s K1 (kayak).
Her parents, Richard Fox and Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, both competed as canoeists at the Olympics.
Richard, a five-time world champion, represented Great Britain at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, while Myriam won bronze for France at the Atlanta 1996 Games.