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NORTON H. CROW AWARD
for Outstanding Male Athlete
Simon Whitfield - Triathlon
Nominated by Triathlon Canada
Simon Whitfield knew he had a legitimate shot at an Olympic medal at Sydney, even though few experts considered him a top contender. A couple of international silver medals, Pan American Games bronze in 1999, and being named Rookie of the Year at the 2000 Aussie Grand Prix, hinted at a golden future down the line. An astute observer would have noted the strength of Whitfield's running--he is known for his ability to come out of nowhere and surprise--and wondered, but only an optimist would have touted him as a medal prospect.
The season began well. Winning the silver medal at a World Cup in Brazil secured him a spot on Canada's Olympic team. Exiting from the world championships with a flat tire, he recovered momentum with fourth- and second-place World Cup results.
Ranked 21st in the world the morning of September 18th, by lunchtime Whitfield was his sport's first Olympic champion and Canada's first Olympic gold medallist of the 21st century. Without teammates to help him along, the 25-year-old ran a sensational race. When a crash near the end of the cycling lap took him down, he "screamed a bit, and got back on my bike" in 26th place and close to 75 seconds behind the leaders.
By the 5km mark of the 10km running lap, he had miraculously moved into fourth place. Soon he was third, then second. Less than 200m from the finish line, he dug deep and, fist in air, streaked to victory, 13 seconds ahead of the silver medallist, Stephan Vuckovic of Germany. The personable Whitfield, who began his career in the Kids of Steel triathlon program in his hometown of Kingston, Ont., stood on top of the world.
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