IOC honours canoe coach Fox-Jerusalmi

Myriam Fox-Jersusalmi, the mother and coach of Australian Olympic gold medallist Jess Fox, has won an IOC lifetime achievement award.

The mother of Australian canoeing star Jess Fox has won an Olympic lifetime achievement award for her decades of coaching.

Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, who has coached canoeing for 25 years, and British triathlon mastermind Malcolm Brown have been honoured by the IOC.

Fox-Jerusalmi coached her daughter to gold in the C-1 slalom event at last year's Olympics.

Most recently, Fox won the K1 World Cup title in August for the fourth-straight year.

Apart from guiding athletes, Fox-Jerusalmi helped women's canoe slalom join the Olympic program and lobbied for gender equality in the sport.

"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," Fox said in an IOC statement.

"She was also part of the lobbying to achieve gender equality in canoe slalom, with the inclusion of the women's canoe event at the Olympics.

"It's one of the reasons Tokyo was so special, 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".

Fox-Jerusalmi represented France in the K1 at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, winning bronze at the Atlanta Games.

"This award is very special as it acknowledges my contribution in high-level sport as a female coach for so many years, but it also puts canoeing and Australia in the international Olympic spotlight," Fox-Jerusalmi said.

Brown coached Great Britain's Brownlee brothers to Olympic domination, with Alistair Brownlee the only man to win two Games gold medals.

Younger brother Jonny also was part of the British team that won last year's first mixed team relay gold medal at the Olympics.

Brown also coached Vicky Holland, another British triathlon medallist.