Penalties have proved costly for Australian paddler Jessica Fox in the final of the U-23 C1 event at the canoe slalom world championships in Slovakia.
The three-time U-23 world champion crossed the line on Friday with the fastest time but was ruled to have missed a gate during her run and touched another.
The 52 seconds added to her time dropped the 23-year-old, who qualified second fastest for the final, from first to 10th.
"It's a heartbreaking day I guess, because it was a winning run and then an unlucky 50, so 10th place," Fox said.
"Look, I get lucky some times, and I get very unlucky some times and that's one of those days."
Great Britain's Mallory Franklin claimed gold, ahead of Czech Tereza Fiserova and fellow Brit Kimberley Woods.
Australian duo Noemie Fox and Kate Eckhardt failed to qualify for the final.
It is not all doom and gloom for Jessica Fox, who will compete in the U-23 K1 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Alexandria Choate was 27th in the junior C1.
Benjamin Pope and Angus Thompson finished 19th and 29th respectively in the semi-finals of the men's U-23 K1 and Louis Richardson was 31st in the junior K1.
Share
