Simon Whitfield, Top 5 Hero's Part 2
Posted by FLATOUT JIM in Corner Brook, ITU, Olympics, Simon Whitfield
This is the second in my Top 5 Inspirational Hero’s series. And number two on the list as you can see by the picture is Simon Whitfield
Now I know you may think NO-BRAINER. Canadian boy, triathlete, gold medalist. That would be reason enough. But I have a little more to add to the story.
Simons Gold Medal, the first ever in Triathlon, was timely for Canada. It was a brutal showing for the Canadian Olympic team. Simon’s come from behind sprint finish was one of the few bright spots for an Olympic Program that would later come under considerable scrutiny.
But what I loved most about Simon was that after his event, he stuck around for the duration of the games. Took in as much of the other events as he could, and probably indulged in a little of the Sydney night life. It was exactly what I pictured I would do if I ever had the opportunity to compete in the Olympics.
Fast forward to 2003, and my second year in the sport. I decided to travel to Corner Brook for the ITU World Cup and Corner Brook triathlon. There was a buzz about the event because of the participation of Simon Whitfield. Coming off his win in 2002, he disappointingly just missed the podium in 2003, placing fourth behind Hamish Carter, Bevan Docherty, and Doug Friman. However, when you consider that he rode 2 of the 6 laps on a flat tire, his accomplishment suddenly becomes amazing.
Try that for your next brick. Do a 40k time trial with 12 hill repeats on a flat tire, and then do a 10k transition run with an additional 9 hill repeats.
As I mentioned in my post on CTS Coach Nick White, Simon still has great ambitions as he prepares to tackle the 70.3 distance while continuing to train for a fourth crack at Olympic glory in 2012.
I already can’t wait.
