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O' Canada Canadian Whitfield claims inaugural men's triathlonLatest: Thursday September 28, 2000 10:59 AM
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) -- Simon Whitfield came back from a 15-rider crash on the final lap of the bike race to win the first-ever Olympic gold medal in the triathlon. On the final leg of the event, the running segment, the Canadian sprinted past Germany's Stephan Vuckovic for victory. Whitfield, wearing a new bathing suit that arrived only hours earlier from Canada, thrust his arms in the air as he crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 48 minutes, 24 seconds Sunday (Saturday night EDT). "When the crash happened, I had my little hissy fit," Whitfield said. "I just put my feet down, slid a little bit, screamed a bit and got back on my bike." Whitfield kissed the winner's podium and looked to the sky in amazement before accepting his gold medal from International Olympic Committee vice president Dick Pound, also a Canadian. Whitfield then buried his face in his hands as "Oh Canada" blared across the plaza in front of the Sydney Opera House.
Vuckovic, who stopped before the finish line to grab a German flag from the crowd and waltzed across the line waving the flag, won the silver medal. Jan Rehula of the Czech Republic won the bronze. All three medalists made up nearly a minute in the running portion of the event. Reigning world champion Olivier Marceau of France led after the bike race, but faded on the second and final lap of the run on an unseasonably warm morning, with temperatures in the low 70s. Marceau finished seventh. Hunter Kemper was the top American in 17th place. Ryan Bolton, of Gillette, Wyo., was 25th and Nick Radkewich finished 40th. The race was a bitter disappointment for host Australia, which had expected at least one medal and perhaps a sweep of the top three positions. No Australian finished in the top five, with Miles Stewart sixth, Craig Walton 27th and Peter Robertson 34th. Whitfield, 25, from Kingston, Ontario, spent part of his childhood in Australia and has a 96-year-old grandmother who still lives a few miles from the triathlon course. As Whitfield made his final push to overcome Vuckovic, Canadian coach Barrie Shepley jumped for joy. "Oh my God!" Shepley yelled, "I'm going to cry like a baby!" Whitfield was wearing a new one-piece suit that exposed most of his chest to the air. When he first got it the previous night, Shepley said, it was so tight Whitfield could hardly fit into it.
Walton was fastest in the 1,500-meter swim, finishing that segment through chilly Sydney Harbor in 17 minutes, 17 seconds for a one-second lead over Simon Lessing of Britain. Walton led for most of the 25-mile bike race, but Marceau and South Africa's Conrad Stoltz broke away from the pack on lap five and built a 56-second lead as the two running laps began around the Royal Botanic Gardens. Marceau quickly ran away from Stoltz, building a 20-second lead, and had a 50-second lead over the pack. By the end of the first running lap, Marceau's lead was down to 18 seconds. Vuckovic took the lead with about two miles left in the 6 1/4-mile running segment, but Whitfield -- known for his closing speed -- kept close until making his final push. Vuckovic said he knew he was in trouble if the race came down to a late sprint. "With about 500 meters left, I saw he was 4 meters behind me and I said, 'It's finished. Goodbye,'" Vuckovic said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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