This week, the Canadian Olympic Association unveiled their choice for Canada's flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies on July 27th: Simon Whitfield, triathlete, will carry the flag for Canada, and there couldn't be a more perfect choice.
Simon was a surprise winner of the very first Olympic Triathlon back in Sydney 2000 (ranked 13th in the world at that time). Some of you, who've been following my Olympic adventures since then, will remember that I got to meet Simon in Sydney, just outside the CBC studios, right after he had received the Gold medal.
Look, I had hair back then! But then again, so did Simon! I was also quite a bit heavier too, as my sister-in-law Sandra reminded me when she said "If you're standing beside the Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete, you might want to suck it in a little..."
But, back to Simon... he was also a surprise Silver medalist in Beijing, with a stunning sprint at the finish, and is a 14-time World Cup Gold medalist. The guy has certainly earned this position.
However, he's more than just a tremendous athlete, he's also a great person, and a doting father to two little girls. At 37, this is probably his last Olympics, and he is humble, and so well grounded in what is important in life. He doesn't have any of that "superstar" attitude/mentality, and captures what is best about the Olympics. Check out this great story about him in the Globe and Mail.
I'm so happy for him, and for Canada to have such a great ambassador!
P.S. - I'm trying to balance having some interesting material in the blog itself, without re-hashing too much of the sources I've linked to. It's a fine line. I know some of you will only read what I've put in the blog, but really, there is some good stuff in the links, if you have the time to follow them.
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