Whitfield and McGlone win 2007 Triathlon Canada Overall Athlete of the Year Awards

For the ninth straight year, Simon Whitfield has been named Triathlon Canada Athlete of the Year, while Montreal’s Samantha McGlone picked up the honour for the third time and the first since 2005, Triathlon Canada announced today.

Whitfield, of Victoria, had an impressive 2007 season, finishing the year at No.2 in the World Cup rankings. He placed fourth at the ITU World Championships in Hamburg and took home the gold medals from the Vancouver, Cancun and Kitzbuhel World Cups. He managed a Top-10 finish in all of the World Cups in which he competed including a bronze medal in Salford, fifth place in Beijing, sixth in Des Moines, eighth in Ishigaki and 10th in Lisbon. His 2007 results have already secured him a berth on the 2008 Canadian Olympic team.

Whitfield also picked up the award for Olympic Distance Elite Male.

McGlone, who also won the award for Long Distance Elite Female, made Canada proud at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships, finishing in second place. She set a new course record at the Vineman Ironman 70.3, winning the gold medal, and repeating the feat at the Honolulu Ironman 70.3. McGlone also had another podium finish, winning the silver medal at the St. Croix Ironman 70.3.

Other 2007 Olympic Distance award winners include Vancouver’s Lauren Groves, who won in the Elite Female category; Kyle Jones of Oakville, Ont., and Victoria’s Kirsten Sweetland, who took home the honours in the Under-23 category; Andrew Yorke of Caledon East, Ont., and Edmonton’s Paula Findlay, who topped the Junior category; Mat Reid of Hamilton, Ont., and Vancouver’s Rachel McBride, who won in the Age Group 18-39 category; and Hans J. Porten of Brampton, Ont., and Calgary’s Lyndsey Clapperton, who were victorious in the Age Group 40-59 category.

In Long Distance – Triathlon, Tom Evans of Penticton, B.C., joined McGlone in the Elite category; Victoria’s Jonathan Caron and Rosemarie Gerspacher of Calgary picked up the award in the Age Group 18-39 category; while Raymond Levesque of Terrebonne, Que., and Edie Fisher of Kenora, Ont., took home top honours in the Age Group 40-59 category.

2007 Duathlon award winners include Jonathan Balabuck of Thunder Bay, Ont., and Victoria’s Lucy Smith in the Elite category; Grant Burwash of Airdrie, Alta., in the Under-23 category; Nicholas McGraw of Kingston, Ont., and Ottawa’s Lindsay Anderson in the Junior category; Fredericton’s Chris Gairns and Lisa Balerna of Ottawa in the Age Group 18-39 category; and David Field of Barry’s Bay, Ont., and Toronto’s Carolyn Silvey in the Age Group 40-59 category.

In Off-Road – Triathlon, Victoria’s Kelly Guest picked up the Male Elite honours; Calgary’s Calvin Zaryski and Kristina Bangma of Vancouver won the awards in the Age Group 18-39 category; while Steve Whitmore of London, Ont., and Calgary’s Beverly Watson were victorious in the Age Group 40-59 category.

Regina’s Milos Kostic and Louise McGonigal of Elmvale, Ont., claimed top prize in the GrandMaster category, while Vancouver’s Scott Patterson and Kim Wedgerfield of Calgary won the awards in the AWAD category.

In other awards, Victoria’s Joel Filliol was named Coach of the Year in the Elite category, while Calvin Zaryski took the honours of Coach of the Year in the Age Group/Junior category. The Significant Contributor/Volunteer award went to Toronto’s Julien Hutchinson.

The Triathlon Canada Awards Program recognizes and celebrates the individual achievement of athletes and the contribution of individuals to the sport across the country. The 2007 Awards will be presented in Kelowna, B.C. as part of the festivities surrounding the 2008 Triathlon National Championships August 16-17.

Click here for a complete list of Athlete award winners.

Photos: Simon Whitfield - Spomedis/triathlon.org; Samantha McGlone - Delly Carr/triathlon.org