Canada's Paula Findlay is on her way to take the first place during a thriathlon that is part of the ITU Triathlon World Championships series, in Kitzbuehel, in the Austrian province of Tyrol, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010.Kerstin Joensson/The Associated Press
Triathlon Canada has named Paula Findlay and Simon Whitfield to Canada's 2012 Olympic team.
While neither Findlay nor Whitfield met Triathlon Canada's Olympic qualifying standards in 2011, the organization used its discretionary powers to choose its first two athletes.
Triathlon Canada wants a full team of three men and three women racing for Canada at the Summer Games in London.
"Paula emerged into one of the top-ranked triathletes in the world prior to getting injured this season," Triathlon Canada executive director Alan Trivett said Friday in a statement. "We believe early selection will allow her to focus on maintaining her health while properly preparing to compete at her best in London without chasing standards over the next seven months.
"Simon is a proven performer and another medal-potential athlete in our system who we want to have focusing solely on peaking in London. Our journey is simple — to land on the podium in London. We believe these two athletes will help us achieve this goal."
Whitfield, 36, won Olympic gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and silver in 2008 in Beijing. He grew up in Kingston, Ont., and now lives and trains in Victoria.
Findlay, a 22-year-old from Edmonton, broke into the world's elite last year. She has won five world championship series races, including a victory on the Olympic course in London last year. She was ranked No. 1 in the world before a hip injury derailed her season in July.
Whitfield's best international result this season was fourth at a world championship series race in Yokahama, Japan.
"The first step was to get on the team, and the second step now is to get a full squad of three men qualified for London," Whitfield said.
Victoria's Brent McMahon, who won bronze at the recent Pan American Games, and Kyle Jones of Oakville, Ont., who was fourth, will attempt to meet qualifying standards next year in order to join Whitfield in London. Montreal's Kathy Tremblay and Kristen Sweetland of Victoria are candidates to join Findlay on the women's team.
"Two years ago I didn't think that it was even possible to compete in London, but when it became a realistic possibility, my whole focus has been on getting on the team," Findlay said. "This has come very quick, but I have worked really hard for this."
The final opportunity for Canadian triathletes to qualify for the Olympic team will be at a world championship series race May 26-27 in Madrid, Spain.