A 1.5 kilometer swim, a 40 kilometer bike ride and a 10 kilometer run to the finish.
In September of 2000 in Sydney, Australia, in 30+ degree temperatures, one of the most grueling events in the history of sport made its Olympic debut: The Triathlon. It was Day 3 and with the women’s race completed the day before it was time for the men to hit the water. After a relatively uneventful swim the athletes took to the bikes and a 14-man crash soon ensued claiming among others a skinny, 5’10, 25-year old Canadian by the name of Simon Whitfield.
Whitfield had represented Canada proudly at the Pan-American games in Winnipeg taking a bronze medal the year before and was expected to place well in the inaugural Olympic race. A crash of this magnitude, however, seemed to be an insurmountable setback. Simon knew that though he was down, there was still a lot of race left to run and his running, in particular, was very strong so up he got to begin the chase.
By the start of the 10 km run Simon was 24th, but still well-within striking distance. As the run progressed, Whitfield chased down the competition one-by-one as favorite after favorite began to succumb to the Sydney sun. With 200 meters left in the race, Simon was in medal position and began to make his final move on the powerful German, Stephan Vuckovic. A spectacular sprint saw Simon leave Vuckovic in the dust on the home stretch and become the first man to break the tape at an Olympic triathlon. At 1 hour, 48 minutes and 24.2 seconds, Whitfield to this day has the fastest triathlon time ever recorded at the Olympics. He was honored as the official Canadian flag bearer at the closing ceremonies in Sydney.
In 2008 in Beijing, Simon returned to the Olympics after placing 11th in 2004. At 32, Whitfield was not considered one of the favorites and many would say that the 2000 Olympic gold medal would be sufficient for his Olympic legacy. However, Simon came into Beijing on a mission. He would have to brave some of the hottest temperatures and poorest air conditions in order to succeed.
Whitfield again was fairly far back going into the run, but just as in 2000 he reeled in his competition slowly but surely, and going into the final stretch he found himself in 4th place, only 10 meters behind the top three. It was time for Simon to go into his trademark sprint finish. He threw his hat aside as if he was releasing a 50 pound weight from his back and began to charge. He managed to overcome two of his three competitors but fell just short of Germany’s Jan Frodeno and wound up capturing the silver medal to add to his gold from eight years prior. I would recommend to anyone who has not seen Whitfield’s 2008 finish, to check it out as it is one of the finest Olympic performances you will see.
As the most decorated athlete in one of the toughest sports at the Olympics, Simon Whitfield as a representative for Canada, demonstrates the kind of “down, but not out” spirit that every Canadian can be proud of. For that reason, he was chosen to carry the Maple Leaf into London 2012, which will likely be his final Olympics. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest athletes our nation has produced and it will be wonderful to see him compete in London and attempt to reach the podium for a third time. Though I would love to see him earn a second gold, completing the set with a bronze would be a fitting way to cap his Olympic career off as well.
However he finishes, he will carry Canada’s flag proudly into the Olympic Stadium as one of our finest athletes and hopefully pass the torch to future generations of strong, tough and classy Canadian ironmen and women.
…and that is the Last Word.
