Jess Fox was supposed to attend a major sporting event. Then doctors found a tumour.

Olympic champion Jess Fox will no longer compete in the remaining Canoe Slalom World Cup events in Europe after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour from her kidney.

Sharing the news in a statement on Thursday, Fox said despite the challenging circumstances, the surgery was a success and she's on the mend.

"It's been a whirlwind over the last few weeks, but I'm all good — just a couple of gnarly new scars, a bit less kidney, and a whole lot more toughness," Fox captioned an Instagram post with photos post-surgery.

"I'm feeling positive, super grateful and happy to be home. Looking forward to taking it easy over the next few weeks as I recover and building towards being back on the water again."

The Australian athlete also thanked her medical team and support system.

"I'm super grateful to the incredible medical staff for their care and expertise – thank you Dr Mohan Arianayagam and his team, and Dr Stephen Nolan, Dr Parrapil, the amazing nurses and physios at Norwest, Dr Scott Reid, my physio Tony and psych Chris, and our Paddle Aus team for their support," she wrote.

"And of course my wonderful family and friends."

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A post shared by Jessica Fox (@jessfoxcanoe)

In a message from Australian Olympic Committee President Ian Chesterman: "It has been a difficult time for Jess, her family and for her support crew. But the one thing we know is that Jess is an incredibly resilient person and she has faced this latest challenge with her renowned determination and fight, just as you'd expect."

Fox cemented her status as Australia's most successful individual Olympian at the Paris 2024 Games after winning gold medals in both the K1 kayak and C1 canoe slalom events.

While Fox recovers, her sister Noémie will compete with the Australian team in Slovenia ahead of the world championships next month.

Feature image: Instagram/@jessfoxcanoe