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{{Short description|Canadian triathlete (born 1975)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| full_name      = Simon St. Quentin Whitfield
| image          = Simon-whitfield-triathlete.jpg
| image_name     =
| caption        = 
| country        = Canada
| nickname       = 
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1975|05|16}}
| birth_place    = [[Kingston, Ontario]], Canada
| height         = {{height|m=1.77|precision=0}}<ref name="Beijing">{{cite web| url=http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/3/245253.shtml| title=Athlete Biography – WHITFIELD Simon | publisher=Beijing Olympics official website|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080826111747/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/3/245253.shtml|archivedate=26 August 2008}}</ref>
| weight         = {{convert|70|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="Beijing" />
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | [[Triathlon]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{CAN}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's|Men's competition]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]] | [[Triathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's|Men's competition]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002 Manchester]] | [[Triathlon at the 2002 Commonwealth Games|Men's competition]]}} 
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[1999 Pan American Games|1999 Winnipeg]] | [[Triathlon at the 1999 Pan American Games|Men's competition]]}} 
}}

'''Simon St. Quentin Whitfield''' (born 16 May 1975) is a Canadian retired [[List of Olympic medalists in triathlon|Olympic triathlon champion]]. Whitfield won ten consecutive Canadian Triathlon Championships titles and [[List of flag bearers for Canada at the Olympics|carried the Canadian national flag]] during the [[2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony]] in Sydney, where he had won his gold medal, and the opening ceremony at the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] in London, making him one of few Canadian athletes to be honoured twice as Olympic flag bearer.

==Biography==
Whitfield was born in [[Kingston, Ontario]], Canada. As a young boy, Whitfield played [[soccer]], until he began with [[triathlon]] at age 11, honing his early competitive skills in the Canadian ''Kids of Steel'' program. By age 15, he was pursuing triathlon on a serious competitive basis.

Whitfield won a gold medal in the triathlon at the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in [[Sydney]], Australia. He got up off the ground after he and 14 other riders crashed in the bike race portion of the event and worked his way back near the leaders. In the foot race, he cut down the field one at a time then put on a finishing kick to take the victory. His final time was 1:48:24.02, which until 2012 stood as the fastest Olympic triathlon.

In the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]] in [[Manchester]], England he claimed gold again. He ended up in 11th place at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] with a time of 1:53:15.81.

Whitfield was named to the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] team and won a silver medal while competing at his third consecutive games.<ref name="Triathlon">{{cite news|url=https://www.tsn.ca/olympics/story/?id=240172&lid=sublink05&lpos=headlines_main |title=Whitfield headlines trio named to triathlon team|accessdate=9 June 2008|date=9 June 2008|agency=The Canadian Press|publisher=[[The Sports Network]]}}</ref> With a time of 1:48:58, he finished 5 seconds behind the German gold medalist.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tsn.ca/olympics/story/?id=246836&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_olympics |title=Whitfield Wins Silver in Triathlon, Germany Takes Gold|accessdate=19 August 2008|date=19 August 2008|agency=The Canadian Press|publisher=[[The Sports Network]]}}</ref> Whitfield's accomplishment was made even more impressive considering he was a distant fourth behind the lead three runners heading into the final kilometre of the run before he burst forth into the lead with 200 metres remaining. Whitfield, exhausted by his effort to get back into the lead, was then passed by the eventual winner [[Jan Frodeno]] of Germany at the end of the race.<ref>{{cite news |title=Roll call: Canada's medal winners |url=http://sports.sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/beijing2008/cp_cbc_beijing.aspx?feedname=cbc-sports-v3&showbyline=true&newsitemid=olympics-canada-medals&pagenumber=3 |publisher=MSN Sympatico |date=23 August 2008 |accessdate=23 August 2008}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
[[File:Simon Whitfield with flag.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Whitfield as flag bearer at the [[Canada at the 2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies]]]]
Whitfield competed at the [[2012 London Olympics]] in Triathlon. After finishing 15th in the swim<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.london2012.com/triathlon/event/men/phase=trm001100/index.html |title= Men's Triathlon |publisher= Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games |access-date= 8 October 2012 |work= Atos Omega |archive-url= https://archive.today/20130104014734/http://www.london2012.com/triathlon/event/men/phase=trm001100/index.html |archive-date= 4 January 2013 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Whitfield was riding out of transition in his aero-bars when he was caught off balance going over a speed bump, falling off of his bike and breaking his collar bone, forcing him to drop out of the race.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/athletics/article/1238058--london-2012-triathlon-simon-whitfield-crashes-out-during-bike-race |title= London 2012: Simon Whitfield crashes out of triathlon |work= Toronto Star|author= Dave Feschuk |date= 7 August 2012  |accessdate= 8 October 2012 }}</ref> Although disappointed, Whitfield remained composed and tactful, apologizing to a fellow athlete who was involved in the crash. Throughout the Olympics Whitfield continued to defend fellow triathlete and Olympic competitor [[Paula Findlay]] from the media when she came last in the women's triathlon in the London games.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/canadas-paula-findlay-deserves-apology-for-struggling-through-olympic-triathlon |archive-url= https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120807002244/http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/08/05/canadas-paula-findlay-deserves-apology-for-struggling-through-olympic-triathlon/ |url-status= live |archive-date= 7 August 2012 |title= Canada's Paula Findlay deserves apology for struggling through Olympic triathlon |work= National Post|author= Bruce Arthur |date= 5 August 2012 |access-date= 8 October 2012 }}</ref>

Whitfield retired in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/article/simon-whitfield-olympic-gold-medal-winning-triathlete-announces-retirement/ |title=Olympic gold medallist Simon Whitfield retires; won at Sydney Games &#124; CTV News |website=Ctvnews.ca |date=2013-10-23 |access-date=2016-07-17}}</ref> At present, Whitfield lives in [[Victoria, British Columbia]] and maintains his second residence at [[Salt Spring Island]].

==Awards and honours==
In 2017, Whitfeld was awarded the [[Order of Sport]], marking induction into [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Simon Whitfield|url=http://www.sportshall.ca/stories.html?proID=626|website=Canada's Sports Hall of Fame|access-date=12 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312145057/http://www.sportshall.ca/stories.html?proID=626|archive-date=12 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Team Canada|simon-whitfield}}
* {{Olympics.com|simon-whitfield|org_archive=20210308133847}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{s-start}}
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{{succession box | title=[[List of Olympic medalists in triathlon|Olympic]] {{gold medal}} <br/> [[Triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Men's]] [[Triathlon at the Summer Olympics|Triathlon]] | before=''initial event'' | years=[[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]] | after=[[Hamish Carter]] }}
{{succession box | title=[[List of Olympic medalists in triathlon|Olympic]] {{silver medal}} <br/> [[Triathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics|Men's]] [[Triathlon at the Summer Olympics|Triathlon]] | before=[[Bevan Docherty]] | years=[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]] | after=[[Francisco Javier Gómez Noya|Javier Gómez]] }}
{{succession box
| before = [[Clara Hughes]]
| title = [[List of flag bearers for Canada at the Olympics|Flagbearer]] for {{CAN}} at the [[Olympics]]
| years = [[2012 Summer Olympics|London 2012]]
| after = [[Hayley Wickenheiser]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Triathlon Men|state=uncollapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Commons category}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitfield, Simon}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Canadian male triathletes]]
[[Category:Canadian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Canada]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in triathlon]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Canada]]
[[Category:Olympic triathletes for Canada]]
[[Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada]]
[[Category:People educated at Knox Grammar School]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Kingston, Ontario]]
[[Category:Triathletes at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Triathletes at the 1999 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Triathletes at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Triathletes at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Triathletes at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Triathletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in triathlon]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games triathletes for Canada]]
[[Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists in triathlon]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]