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March 24th, 2021 
Awake Goy March 24, 2021 by Henry Benjamin
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Olympian Jessica Fox took to the water to train during the severe flooding which has devasted wide tracts of south-eastern Australia following days of heavy rainfall.
Jessica Fox paddles on the flooded Penrith Lakes Pic: Supplied
Jessica lives close to the Nepean River near Penrith over 50kms from the Sydney CBD
She told J-Wire: “Our home is fine thankfully but many places around where I live have had some flood damage. Neighbouring suburbs were evacuated on the weekend but have returned now. A lot of the devastation is further down the river and my heart goes out to all those affected.”
26-yr-old Jessica maintained her training program utilising the calmer waters of the Penrith Lakes.
A training session begins for Jessica Fox
She said: “I train every day and unfortunately the Whitewater Stadium has been affected by flooding with the lake being super high. We can’t turn the pumps on for whitewater. We won’t know if there’s any damage to the pumps until the water in the lake drops to normal levels which could take some time. For now, we will be training in flat water and in the gym.”
Penrith Whitewater Stadium was the competition venue for the canoe/kayak slalom events during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. It is the only man-made river of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
She said that she had never seen the levels of the Nepean River or Penrith lakes at the height reached this week. She said: “The sheer force of the river was impressive and the rate at which it rose was terrifying. The Nepean river hit around 10m, but thankfully it’s now dropped to 6 or 7. In a few days, I might go for a paddle when it’s at safe levels, but will mostly be on the lake in Penrith.
The Marseilles-born won a silver medal for the K1 event in the 2012 Olympics and won bronze four years later in Rio de Janeiro. She has been selected for the Australian team for the Tokyo Olympics.
Jessica and her family will celebrate Pesach with friends in the city.
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