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ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: CHANTAL PETITCLERC
Canada's golden girl CBC
SPORTS ONLINE | Dec. 20, 2003
Debates aren't all that rare at Sports Online – Bettman vs Goodenow,
why should we care about Beckham? Did Bertuzzi get what he deserved?
– but the biggest debate in recent months happened when it came
time to decide the Athlete of the Year.
Out of a list of almost 20 candidates – which included Olympic
gold medallists Adam van Koeverden, Kyle Shewfelt and Lori-Ann Muenzer
– it came down to Paralympian Chantal Petitclerc and NHL all-star
Martin St. Louis. There wasn't much debate about that.
But even though we finally decided on Petitclerc, the debate still
rages. It goes something like this: Petitclerc deserves it hands down
because of the scope of her performance this year in Athens.
Already established as one of the best Paralympians in history, the
Montreal native won five gold medals – including the only Canadian
medal awarded in Athens' Olympic Stadium – and broke three world
records in the process. She also dominated at a stunning variety of
distances, from the 100 m to the 1,500 m.
And, unlike St. Louis, she didn't have a team to help her when she
was on the track. Wheelchair racing is a solitary endeavour. No Lecavaliers
or Richardses to boost her performance. And nowhere near the kind
of financial support wealthy hockey players receive.
But St. Louis captured pretty much most every award you can win as
a forward in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. The
winger won the Hart Trophy (MVP) and Art Ross (scoring), and was selected
player of the year by his peers. He was also an all-star, and capped
off his 94-point season with a Stanley Cup ring when the Tampa Bay
Lightning won it all.
He also guided Canada to a World Cup of Hockey championship in September.
While the Laval, Que., native didn't achieve that greatness through
solo effort, the level of competition in the NHL is an order of magnitude
above that faced by Petitclerc at the Paralympics. There are really
only a handful of wheelchair racers who are truly world-class; St.
Louis, on the other hand, bested almost 20 snipers last year who racked
up 70 points or more. All this from someone who's just five feet nine
inches tall and 185 pounds – a stature that stacks the odds against
him every game.
Clearly, both are worthy of top billing. But the question everyone
must ask about whether Petitclerc should win is this: if not now,
when?
If Petitclerc's performance this year isn't good enough to win an
athlete of the year honour, just what kind of performance from a Paralympian
would be worthy? No Canadian Olympian – able-bodied or not –
has ever had a better year. Whether anyone ever could is an open question,
but there's reason for doubt.
That's why she wins this year's honour. What St. Louis did was brilliant,
but it wasn't unprecedented. What Petitclerc did was make history.
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