Kimberley woods, who won bronze in the women's single-kayak slalom race on Sunday, and Jessica Fox knew they had a chance to win a medal. But their Olympic hopes hung in the air.

After a poor performance in the semi-final, Australian world number 1 Fox was the fifth racer to attack the course. Although her scintillating descent put her first, she had to watch the other competitors descend.

Fox, who spent the remainder of the race sitting in a chair at the top of the podium, knowing that the next competitor could knock her down, told reporters, "The wait was awful. It was really hard."

Cox said, "I was very proud of my run. I knew that it was a great run because the semi-final time was so good, but you never know. There were some really strong women who came behind me."

"I was very nervous as I watched that. I had my fingers crossed, prayed and did everything I could just to stay calm."

Woods, from Britain, was unable to stay on the podium even if Fox, the silver medalist, had been pushed down by Klaudia Zawolinska, the previous Olympic champion, and Ricarda Funk.

Zwolinska knocked her from second to third and she was on tenterhooks waiting to see if Funk who was the last to finish would push her completely out of medals.

"(The waiting was) absolutely horrible... Woods stated that he was unable to watch the game. "I couldn't see, I had my head in my hand, and I was on my knees."

Woods' bronze medal was a result of the German Funk's misfortune. She missed the 19th barrier and received a penalty of 50 seconds, which destroyed her hopes.

Woods said, "I heard the crowd shouting something and realized that Funk had made a mistake. I thought, Oh my God! I can't even believe I did it."

Zwolinska, a Pole, was also captivated by the moment.

She said, "I have no words, and I don't just say it because it's what every athlete says, I don't even have the words to describe how I feel right now."