Olympic champion Simon Whitfield inspired the nation 16 years ago today

One of the great moments in Olympic history took place on this day 16 years ago. On Sept. 17, 2000, the men’s triathlon made its debut at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and the first-ever champion was a Canadian.

Simon Whitfield, now 41, won the inaugural triathlon at the Olympics with an incredible run to cap off the 1,500m swim, 40K bike, 10K road race with a gold medal. Whitfield, a native of Kingston, Ont., passed Germany’s Stephan Vuckovic with approximately 200m to go thanks to a devastating kick and emphatically celebrated across the line.

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Whitfield was in 28th place after the 1,500m swim in Sydney Harbour. He improved to 25th after the bike but was briefly knocked off course by a crash. It wasn’t until the run that Whitfield made his presence felt.

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The Canadian is one of the most well-known Canadian athletes in recent Olympic history and helped inspire the next generation of triathletes as well as runners. Whitfield was an incredibly strong runner and would regularly compete in cross-country and road races across the country.

Whitfield would go on to win silver at the 2008 Olympics with an impressive run to complete the three-discipline event. He dropped out of the triathlon at the 2012 London Olympics, his fourth appearance at the Games, after suffering a broken collar bone from a bike crash.

His podium celebration in Sydney matched his finish line celebration as he fist pumped before receiving the first of two Olympic medals in his career. The win was fitting for Whitfield as he had Australian-Canadian citizenship at the time and had family in Sydney watching him finish near the famous Opera House.

CBC profile aired the morning of the race

Whitfield retired in 2013 and currently splits his time between Victoria and Salt Spring Island, B.C.