Aidan Williams had a front row seat to the Olympic journey of gold medal winning paddler Jessica Fox - and the Linden filmmaker is now sharing his special access with the world.
Williams teamed up with Fox in 2020 to chronicle her campaign to win gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021, with the resulting documentary, Golden, released online at vimeo at the end of December.
The 26-year-old proposed the idea to Fox when she had just returned from a stint overseas and was in quarantine.
"I had this epiphany about how amazing would it be to follow Jess's journey and show behind the scenes footage as never seen before as she prepares for Tokyo in her search for gold," he said. "So I sent her a message and she loved the idea right away."
Fast forward one year and Williams found himself covering the lockdown, floods, venue closures, Olympic launch events, overseas training camps and competitions.
"To have a front row seat for Jess's Olympic journey was truly special, to document the highs and lows of an Olympic preparation so unique," he told the Gazette.
"From filming through lockdown to eventually winning gold in Tokyo, to being a fly on the wall and documenting everything that goes into making an Olympic champion, I believe this film really showcases this in a way that has never been seen before. I hope this brings the viewer into what Jess's journey was like and my vision filming it."
Gold medal performance
Fox won gold in the C1 canoe slalom at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021 after taking bronze in the K1 class.
The nation fell in love with the former Blaxland High School student as she claimed her elusive gold medal with her mum Myriam by her side coaching, her sister Noemie on the course sidelines, and her dad Richard in the commentary box.
"Jess's story needed to be told and to be done justice, there was such an amazing opportunity," said Williams.
"Nobody had done it justice so I thought I needed to. So I gave my heart and soul to this piece. I just want to do justice for Jess, her family and the amazing community."
The photographer and videographer is no stranger to documenting the pursuits of elite athletes. He won the Extreme Sports award at the International Photography Awards in 2018 and his image of slackline world record holder Samuel Volery featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine in Greece.
The documentary Golden can be viewed on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/784080492
