She stole our hearts with that beaming smile and the emotional gold medal winning performance in the Canoe Slalom at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but it turns out her own heart had been stolen some time earlier by a four-legged friend named Pink.

Jess Fox became one of the darlings of Australia’s Tokyo Olympic team, adding a bronze medal in the K1 in Japan to go with the silver she won in London and another bronze from Rio, before she finally captured that elusive gold medal in the C1 event a few days later.

It was the culmination of a lifetime of ambition, and the previous five years spent working tirelessly towards just one goal – this golden goal.

Jess like all athletes had been thrown the year before when the Olympics had to be put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All her plans were aimed at those two weeks in 2020, but now she had to find a way to get through it and push on for another year.

Unable to commit to a dog permanently due to her frequent travel, she was suddenly “stuck” at home in Australia, so Jess embraced the opportunity to temporarily make a beautiful greyhound named Pink, part of her family.

“I've always wanted a dog but being an elite athlete results in a lot of travel,” she explained. “The pandemic meant I spent more time in the country, making it the perfect time to foster. 

“I jumped online and within a week I got Pink as a foster dog. She had a calming presence and has brought so much joy to our home in a period of uncertainty.

“Pink was our first time fostering a greyhound, and it has been challenging, rewarding and enjoyable, and Pink has brought so much quirky and loveable energy and personality into our life.

“They have such quirky personalities, it makes us laugh when she’s excited, she just looks so big and awkward.

“It's amazing to see the progress she has made and continues to make. It shows how important it is to foster and give these dogs love and patience. I can say we are now greyhound obsessed.”