Canadian Masters Athletics
Announces the 2014 Athletes of the Year
and Naming of Athlete of the Year Awards
June 10, 2015: – Canadian Masters Athletics has announced the winners of the 2014 Athletes of the Year awards, which are awarded based on nominations received from members of the CMA and votes cast by the members of the CMA Board. For 2014, the winners have been named in four categories of athletics, without reference to the gender of the recipient. The CMA is also pleased to announce that the four categories have each 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 in the listing which follows. The 2014 winners are therefore each the inaugural winners of these special awards. The winners will receive plaques commemorating their awards, which have again been kindly donated by Bill McIlwaine, a member of the CMA Board.
The official presentations to each of the winners will take place on the track at the CMA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, on Saturday, July 18, 2015, at St, Catharines, Ontario, or at the Athletics Canada Pan Am Alumni Party, being held on Friday evening, July 24, 2015, at Vaughan, Ontario, or at another suitable occasion chosen by the winner.
The following are the recipients of the
2014 Canadian Masters Athletes of the Year Awards:
Individual Track Events – “Earl Fee Award”
W60 Karla Del Grande ON
This award is named after Earl Fee, the great masters middle distance track athlete who, at age 86, is still adding to the Canadian and World records which he holds, and continuing to inspire others. Karla Del Grande is the inaugural winner of the Earl Fee Award. In 2014, she broke seven Indoor and three Outdoor Canadian individual records, including World records in the Indoor 60m, 200m (twice) and the 400m, and World records in the Outdoor 100m (twice) and the 400m. She was also on 4 x 200 and 4 x 400 Relay teams which set Canadian records. In addition to medals at Canadian and Ontario Championships, Karla won two Gold and two Silver medals at the World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary in March, and three Gold medals at the US Outdoor Masters Championships.
Runners-up in this category were Alice Cole, W80 QC, and Helly Visser, W80 AB.
Individual Field Events – “Olga Kotelko Award”
W95 Olga Kotelko BC
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. She has been an inspiration to many people worldwide, and a great ambassador for Masters track and field. It is fitting that she should win the inaugural award named in her honour.
Despite competing in only 3 meets in 2014, before she passed away on June 24 at age 95, Olga broke or set 14 W95 World records this year, seven Indoor and seven Outdoor. Twelve of these World records were in Field Events. In Jumps, she broke World records in the Long, Triple and High Jumps, while in Throws, she broke the Indoor Shot Put and Weight Throw World records, and the Outdoor Javelin Throw, Hammer Throw, Weight Throw and the Throws Pentathlon records. In all, Olga won 10 Gold medals at the World Masters Indoor Championships in Budapest in March.
The runner-up in this category was Margaret Tosh, W75 SK.
Combined Events – “Ian Hume Award”
W35 Marie-Josée Le Jour ON
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.
Marie-Josée Le Jour is the inaugural winner of the Ian Hume Award. In 2014, Marie-Josée set a World Record for the W35 Outdoor Throws Pentathlon of 4,047 points, which broke a record which had originally been set in 2001. She also won a Gold medal in the W35 Throws Pentathlon in the CMA Outdoor Championships. In individual throws, she also set Canadian W35 records in both the Indoor and Outdoor Weight Throw, and in the Outdoor Discus Throw.
Runners-up in this category were Ted Rowan, M80 SK, and Ralph Cilevitz, M60 ON.
Non-Stadia Events – “Ed Whitlock Award”
M50 Mark Bennett BC
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 inaugural winner of the Ed Whitlock Award is Mark Bennett. In 2014, Mark improved on his 2013 performances, winning the BC Masters M50 Road Race Championships in the 5K, 8K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon distances. He set a new Canadian record in the M50 Half Marathon on February 16 in Vancouver, at 1:13:33. He also won his age group at the 2014 Boston Marathon, in a time of 2:34:41. His best age-graded result in 2014 was his 33:32 finish in the Summerfest 10K, at 91.54%. He now holds BC M50 records in the 5K, the Half Marathon and the Marathon.
Runners-up in this category were Kip Kangogo, M35 AB, and David Le Porho, M35 QC.
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Awards presentations;
Pan Am Games Alumni Party
Tickets
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Canadian Masters Championships
Information
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