One of the greatest Olympic careers in Canadian history ended sprawled on the streets of London Tuesday.
Victoria's Simon Whitfield crashed during the men's triathlon at the 2012 London Summer Games when his bike hit a bump and his left foot came off the pedal. He wobbled before plummeting off his bike, careening hard into the barricades, lined with an estimated 200,000 people, and hitting the road.
The two-time Olympic medallist was forced to withdraw from the Olympic race.
Whitfield suffered injuries to his left shin and foot, and told the Times Colonist he was undergoing X-rays to determine if he'd broken his collarbone or suffered a separated shoulder.
The family man had promised wife Jennie and daughters Pippa and Evelyn that, regardless of the outcome of the Olympic race, he would spend the next day with them in a London park and other local attractions. He will be as good as his word today, hitting the park, then Legoland.
"Then Windsor Castle," he wrote via email. "Then Princess Diana water fountain. Then M&M Land. Family time."
Family is just the emotional salve Whitfield needs now.
In a statement earlier in the day about his fourth and last Olympic race, Whitfield said he hit the speed bump "on a funny angle."
"I'm not sure what happened. I wanted to keep going but my bike was in pieces and my leg and foot was gashed up pretty good. There was no way [to continue]."
What made the incident - just after the transition from swim to bike - even more unfortunate was that Whitfield had a strong swim in the Serpentine at Hyde Park and was in 14th place overall, positioning himself for a potentially dramatic late charge in the run portion.
"I had one of the best swims I had in a while," said Whitfield.
"We train four years for this and, unfortunately, it happens. I've had two incredible Olympics."
At Habit coffee bar in downtown Victoria, a favourite Whitfield haunt, a hush fell over the group of friends who had gathered to watch the Olympic race in the wee hours when Whitfield crashed.
"We're pretty stunned and in shock - totally gutted - because we know that 365 days a year, Simon puts his heart into his sport," said Rumon Carter, a Whitfield supporter and noted Island endurance athlete.
"He was perfect out of the swim. He was right there and was ready to bang it. Then something went sideways. It was one of those freakish things."
Whitfield, the Canadian flag-bearer in the London Games opening ceremonies, was an Olympic gold medallist at Sydney 2000 and silver medallist at Beijing 2008.
While the 37-year-old Whitfield went crashing to the pavement, the sport's future - the Brownlee brothers from Yorkshire - scored gold and bronze medals for the host nation. Alistair Brownlee, draped in the Union Jack, crossed the line in a blazing 1: 45: 25, while brother Jonny Brownlee took the bronze. Javier Gomez of Spain captured the silver medal.
Kyle Jones of Oakville, Ont., who lives and trains in Victoria, was 25th and veteran Brent McMahon of Victoria was 27th. cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
