Canadian Masters Athletics Announces the 2015 Athletes of the Year
Based on nominations received from members of the CMA and votes cast by the CMA Board, the 2015 Athletes of the Year have been named in four categories of athletics, each of which has been named after a masters athlete who was prominent in the appropriate discipline, and is either still active or was active in the past, as identified below.
The following are the recipients of the 2015 Canadian Masters Athletes of the Year Awards:
Individual Track Events – “Earl Fee Award”
W85 Lenore Montgomery BC
This award is named after Earl Fee, the great masters middle distance track athlete who, at age 87, is still active and still holds many Canadian and World records, and continues to inspire others.
Lenore Montgomery from North Vancouver is the winner of the Earl Fee Award. In 2015, Lenore set W85 Canadian records in the 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m track races. Of these, the 800m, at 4:33.86, and the 5000m, at 32:36.20, were also World records, and were age-graded at 96% and 98%.
Individual Field Events – “Olga Kotelko Award”
W35 Marie-Josée Le Jour ON
This award is named after Olga Kotelko, who set more age group World records than any other athlete, in all age groups from 80 to 95 years of age, and has been an inspiration to many people Worldwide, and a great ambassador for masters track and field.
Marie-Josée Le Jour from Toronto is the winner of the Olga Kotelko Award. She competed for Canada in the Discus Throw in the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, a significant achievement for a masters athlete. In the World Masters Athletics Championships in France in August, 2015, in the very competitive W35 age group, Marie-Josée won a Gold medal in the Discus, and Bronze Medals in the Hammer Throw and the Weight Throw.
Combined Events – “Ian Hume Award”
M60 Reidar Zapf-Gilje BC
This award is named after Ian Hume who, beginning with the first World Masters Championships in Toronto in 1975 and for a period of 25 years, won 29 World Championship medals and set 40 World records in 9 events, including the Pentathlon and the Decathlon.
Reidar Zapf-Gilje from Vancouver is the winner of the Ian Hume Award. In the Norwegian Multi-Event Championships in June, Reidar won the Gold Medal in the M60 Pentathlon, setting a new Canadian record of 3,575 points, 372 points above the previous record. Also during the year, he won Gold Medals in the M60 age group in the BC 55+ Games in the Pentathlon, with 3,369 points, and in the Throws Pentathlon, with 3,295 points.
Non-Stadia Events – “Ed Whitlock Award”
W60 Johanna Flipsen AB
This award is named after Ed Whitlock, the still active road racing legend who, at age 69, became the oldest man to run a marathon in under 3 hours, and today holds dozens of Canadian Road records, as well as World records in the Marathon for M70, M75 and M80.
The winner of the Ed Whitlock Award is Johanna Flipsen, from Leduc, AB. In the WMA Championships in 2015, Johanna won a Gold Medal in the W60 20K Road Race Walk (91% age graded) and a Silver Medal in the 10K Road Race Walk (90% age graded). Both of these were Canadian age group records. In September, she also set a Canadian W60 age group record in the 5K Road Race Walk.
Presentation of Awards
The Athlete of the Year and the Hall of Fame awards will be presented at an awards event to be held in conjunction with the CMA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, on Saturday, August 13, 2016 in Toronto.
Additionally, the recipients or their representatives will be invited to receive their awards at the Athletics Canada Hall of Fame Gala and Annual Awards Celebration, being held on Wednesday, July 6, at the Delta Edmonton South, Edmonton, or at another suitable occasion chosen by the each of the winners.
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