At the forefront of women’s coaching: 1996 Olympic bronze medallist Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi is leading the way
After a successful career as an athlete in canoe slalom, Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi has continued her legacy by coaching her daughter Jess Fox to multiple Olympic medals, and becoming a role model for other female coaches.
It’s not easy being a pioneer, but Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi doesn’t know any other way.
The French-born coach has been at the forefront of canoe slalom all her life.
After representing France in K1 at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 where she won bronze, Fox-Jerusalmi has gone on to create a successful coaching career over the past 25 years in her adopted country Australia.
On top of helping her daughter Jessica Fox to win 12 world titles and four Olympic medals, she’s been instrumental in developing the women’s canoe slalom Olympic programme to achieve gender equality.
"When I started canoeing in France and competing, we only had one event for women and three for men," Fox Jeresalmi told Olympics.com.
"When I moved to Australia I realised that women were doing the (C1) event nationally even though they were not offered it internationally. So when I started coaching, I realised that yes, why not? Yes, let's do this C1 canoe event that was only allowed for the guys.
"We started training little young girls in that event and we supported women. We've been advocating to make sure that women could race internationally and coach and encourage other countries and other women to rise. Finally, with the agenda of Tokyo 2020 where the IOC wanted to have gender equality, we had that event in Tokyo."
At Tokyo 2020 the women's C1 canoe slalom event made its debut at the Games which saw the sport having gender parity for the first time in the Olympic Games.
After advocating for the event and women's equality for so long, it was rather fitting that her daughter Jessica won the inaugural gold.
This victory made 28-year-old Fox the greatest canoe slalom athlete of all time.
Along with her success in Tokyo, the Australian has won twelve world titles, silver at London 2012, plus bronze at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. She also took home gold at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
There's no doubt her mum has had a helping hand in all of that success.
Family connection strengthens coach and athlete relationship
Understandably Jessica and Myriam have a unique relationship, but the duo have found a rhythm that successfully works for them, both on and off the water.
"She's a tough coach," Fox tells Olympics.com, "but she's so passionate and so driven. Sometimes she'll wake up in the morning and turn up to training, and it's as if she wants to get on the water and show me how to do it. She's just the most motivated, driven person to try and get the best out of her athletes to push them to meet their potential and to support them in and out of the sport.
"For us, on the water, she's there trying to get us to do our best and reach that excellence level that she knows we're capable of and outside of that, how can she support us with our studies or with our work commitments?"
Coach Myriam also believes female coaches have a unique opportunity.
"We always say women care a little bit more, but I've been there as a woman in the sport, so I think I can maybe understand better, and I go deeper when it comes to looking at the athlete in general. I care more about the general aspect, not just the sport. So I'm curious, and I'm supportive, and I try to encourage them." - Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi.
As for coaching her daughter, she says it's been simple but she's always been cautious to treat her the same as all the athletes she coaches.
"I think we have a unique relationship. I know when to wear the cap of a coach and when to wear the cap of a mother, especially when she was younger. I used to say Jess has been my guinea pig. When she decided to start paddling, I coached her and I could see that she was open-minded, she would pick up things very quickly, and she was a pleasure to teach.
"I was the national coach when she arrived in the national team as a senior athlete, and I don't think she had it easy because I was very concerned about what people will think of us. So she was very independent, automatically. She was observing, she was not a demanding athlete. It's only when she established herself as the leader in a team that suddenly I was really properly, openly her coach, and she was actually my lead athlete, but she earned it."
Beyond their family connection, Fox believes her mother's influence on coaching and the sport of canoe slalom globally has been invaluable.
"I think she's really been one of those women to support the well-rounded athlete. Obviously, she's always been really passionate about gender equality in our sport, and she's one of the few female coaches around the world, so she's always really there as a mentor to other coaches to support women because there are not that many of them on the river banks and in the gym, so she's really there to help lift other women up". - Jessica Fox on her mother and coach, Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi
In Fox's eyes, she couldn't ask for a better role model and mentor guiding her.
"I am so incredibly proud of her coaching career, but also who she is as a woman, and the way she has instilled her values and her work ethic and her passion into me, into our family, and the way she lives that every day.
"I think she's a phenomenal human and I'm so proud of her and so grateful to have had her as my coach, and for the experiences that we've had as coach and athlete, and as mother and daughter."
Acknowledgement for her commitment to women in sport
To recognise all Fox-Jerusalmi has achieved, in helping to create new pathways for female athletes and coaches, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the 61-year-old the IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony in Lausanne.
"To receive this lifetime achievement award was a big surprise, but I feel very honoured. I'm the lucky one because I think there are a lot of coaches around the world that also deserve this award," she said.
“I’d like to thank all who have supported me in my career as a coach. This award is the pinnacle of sports achievement for coaches and I’m extremely proud,”
She recognises she has forged a unique path in a career that is dominated by men. Over the last 10 years, only 10% of accredited coaches have been women at the Summer and Winter Games. In Tokyo 2020 that number rose to 13%.
Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi acknowledges how far canoe slalom has come since she started in the sport, but wants to see more follow in her footsteps.
"It's special because maybe now it shows that it's possible and there's recognition for the coaching job because there's not enough women coaching around the globe." - Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi.
She believes seeing is believing.
"The more people we have up there at the top of organisations, the more females, they would understand, and maybe they would give more opportunities for women. Not saying that males can't, but I'm saying the more women we have, the more women think they can go into these jobs and it's okay to be a coach, and It's okay because there's a door open for them to become a coach."
She's also eager to emphasise the positive work that has been done down under.
"As a coach, I am passionate about our sport and wanting to help our athletes reach their potential," Fox says. "This award is very special as it acknowledges my contribution to high-level sport as a female coach for so many years, but it also puts canoeing and Australia in the international Olympic spotlight.”
Her daughter and star student, Jess says, “Myriam is one of the few female coaches practising in Australia and around the world in canoe slalom, and she has always been a strong advocate for female athletes, gender equality, and the importance of developing good humans before athletes.”
She recognises her mother's influence in the sport is what helped her to become an Olympic champion in an event that was not previously available to women.
“It's one of the reasons Tokyo was so special," Fox says. "Achieving that first-ever women's canoe Olympic gold medal was an incredible moment to share together. I’ve been lucky to have her as a coach, her passion and vision in the sport is inspiring, and there’s no slowing her down! As one of her athletes (and as her daughter too!), I’m so proud to see her receive this award and be recognised in this way”.
Positive impact and positive change - WISH programme
In an attempt to build pathways and increase the opportunities for women in coaching roles, the IOC has created the Women in Sport High Performance Pathway (WISH).
The initiative has been created to help female coaches who have already demonstrated potential and a desire to reach the highest level of their sport in key coaching roles.
The WISH Programme is being supported by Olympic Solidarity which is investing $1 million USD. More than 100 female coaches will gain valuable resources to help encourage a successful elite sports coach career.
Fox-Jerusalimi's advice is clear: believe and do.
"To the participants of the WISH Programme or even to the women that want to get into coaching and can't be in that programme, follow your dream, and be persistent in what you want to do. Try to get educated and try to gain experience to be able to reach your goal.
"If your goal is to be an Olympic coach, you need to prove that you could be an Olympic coach. I would say male or female you need to start and show that you are motivated, dedicated, and you do what needs to be done to become an Olympic coach."