Triathlon: Whitfield to lead Canadian triathlon team in Beijing

Monday, June 09, 2008 - 10:36 PM

VANCOUVER - Simon Whitfield, the 2000 Olympic triathlon champion, will try to add a second gold medal in Beijing in August with Paul Tichelaar of Edmonton and Colin Jenkins of Hamilton, Ont., as teammates.

Triathlon Canada announced the high-performance committee's team selection on Monday morning.

The decision had gone to the committee late Sunday after none of the potential candidates for the team behind Whitfield had secured an automatic berth with a top-eight finish in the International Triathlon Union world championship in Vancouver.

Tichelaar, 25, came the closest with a ninth-place result, all but assuring his selection given that he three other top-10s in World Cups this season.

Jenkins, also 25, was selected over high-ranked teammates Brent McMahon of Victoria, a 2004 Olympian, and Kyle Jones of Oakville, Ont., on the basis of his exceptionally strong swim and bike disciplines and his willingness to work as a pace-setter to help Whitfield on those legs of the race in Beijing.

"This is about trying to put the best foot forward," said Whitfield, who was sixth on Sunday, 34 seconds behind winner Javier Gomez of Spain. "I've proven over the years I can win on my own, but this is a response to the fact our sport is evolving. The French have proven one of the ways to win is to race as a team at times."

McMahon 17th-place finish Sunday ensured Canada would get three Olympic berths, while Jenkins faded badly in the run portion and finished 57th.

"Our men's team in Beijing will be among the strongest of any country," said Triathlon Canada executive director Alan Trivett.

"The addition of Jenkins and Tichelaar adds the opportunity to race as a team with Whitfield. However, Tichelaar has been very consistent on the World Cup circuit over the past year and is equally capable of producing a top result for Canada on his own."