Simon Whitfield

Simon Whitfield is an Olympic triathlon champion, whose easy smile and exuberance has endeared him to Canadians.

Whitfield’s gold medal win in the triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia is one of the most memorable performances by an individual athlete. He ranked thirteenth in the world, had not won a triathlon in a year and was not favoured to win. After a 15-man bike crash Whitfield was forced to stop – but eventually worked his way back near the leaders. He started the foot race in 24th place and resolutely moved his way up and eventually passed his competition in the last 200m to win the gold. His final time still stands as the fastest Olympic triathlon.

In the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England he claimed gold again. He ended up in 11th place at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

At the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Whitfield used his relentless drive to win a silver medal. Heading into the final kilometre of the run, he was a distant fourth.  He burst into the lead with 200 metres remaining. Whitfield, exhausted by his effort to get back into the lead, was passed by the Jan Frodeno of Germany at the end of the race. He finished 5 seconds behind the German gold medalist.
 
His relentless dedication to his sport will make him a contender in the London 2012 Olympics.

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