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123 Mar 13 '19
TORONTO -- Olympic triathlon champion Simon Whitfield isnt ready to officially retire just yet. Wholesale Pistons Jerseys . The 38-year-old native of Kingston, Ont., said Tuesday that he considers himself "semi-retired," and theres just a "10 per cent" chance hell return to full-time racing. "Im leaving the door open simply because I dont want to pull a Brett Favre and say Im done and then come back," Whitfield said at a Toronto Triathlon Festival news conference. "Maybe I just havent come to terms with saying Fully retired, so Im putting semi in front of it to give myself an out." Whitfield said although hes currently training at less than 50 per cent, he could still decide to race if he so desired. But where it would normally take him 12 weeks to prepare for a competition, Whitfield said hed likely need between 16 and 20 weeks to ensure hes able to cover a triathlons 1.5-kilometre swim, 40-kilometre bike ride and 10-kilometre run at a high level. Trouble is, that would also mean being away for his wife, Jennie, and their two daughters, Pippa and Evelyn. "My family is my priority now and spending more time with them," Whitfield said. "I know what it takes to be at that top level and I really didnt like when people downplayed how much it took so now for me to do both is very difficult. "If I can find a place where I can balance it then Ill do that. Right now I cant so Im not going to." And time is no ally. The longer Whitfield doesnt compete, the harder it will be to close the gap between himself and the younger members of the national squad, headed up by Kyle Jones, 28, of Oakville, Ont. "I know Kyle has taken his racing to a level now that would be very hard to get back to," Whitfield said. "I think the rest of that team is stepping up so I think theyll close that door pretty quickly if I didnt get back into it very soon." Whitfield plans to compete in the Toronto Triathlon Festival on July 21. He took part in the inaugural event last year, which was his final tuneup for the 2012 London Summer Games. "As of right now I have no races on the calendar other than trying to beat my record from last year," he said. "I will be competing to be in it and not be embarrassed by some young guy." Whitfield opened his fourth career Olympic competition as Canadas flag-bearer in London. But he suffered a broken collarbone in a bike crash during the triathlon. It was a tough way to go out for the 2000 Olympic gold medallist, who also won silver at the 2008 Games in Beijing. But if Whitfields full-time racing career is over, hes more than at peace with it. "Thats the beauty of it ... I could never have asked for more," he said. "I went to four Olympic Games, I got to carry the flag and, oh, I won two medals. "Its beyond anything I ever imagined. I mean, I ran around in a Speedo, its kind of ridiculous when you think about it. But I got to do that for a living, see the world and do something I loved doing. If thats it, thats it." Alan Trivett, Triathlon Canadas executive director, said Whitfield will forever be an ambassador for the sport in this country. "I dont necessarily look for Simon to come back and be on our national team and our Olympic team as necessarily the ultimate goal," he said. "There are other disciplines and other distances that Simon could race on. "But Simon is bigger than the sport here in Canada and the more exposure he has, the more exposure the sport has so for me its not necessarily about him coming back. Simon Whitfield is the greatest ambassador we could ever have." However, Trivett admits the sport will have a huge hole to fill when Whitfield retires as an active triathlete. "Obviously, there will be a void because so many kids coming through look at it as, If Simon can do it, maybe I can do it too," he said. "The longer that goes, the next generation will know less and less about what Simon has done and its important we capitalize on that legacy over the next few years." When Whitfield does step away from racing triathlons, dont expect him to become inactive. The idea of competing in Iroman events -- 3.8-kilometre swim, 180-kilometre bike and marathon -- has its appeal. So, too, does playing recreational soccer, which Whitfield does back in Victoria in a league that also features the father of NBA star Steve Nash. "It (retirement from triathlons) will probably happen on the soccer field when I will blow an Achilles or something," Whitfield said with a chuckle. "But I still want to be able to run around at 68 like Steve Nashs dad and be able to dominate the young guys." Cheap Pistons Jerseys .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Khyri Thomas Jersey .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. http://www.cheappistonsjerseys.com/ . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.INDIANAPOLIS -- IndyCar drivers and owners have always considered Derrick Walker to be a beacon of leadership. Now hes switching to what Walker calls the "dark" side. The well-respected former team owner was hired Monday as IndyCars new head of competition, ending the worst-kept secret in Indianapolis. Speculation that the 68-year-old Scotsman would lead the competition department kicked into high gear last week when four-time series champ Dario Franchitti, also a Scot, said Walker had been hired. Turns out, it was all true. "I know Im not going to please everybody every day," Walker said. "There are going to be some days when some people will think Im a jerk and there will be some days where I probably will be a jerk. I just hope theres more good days than jerk days." Walker takes over May 27, the day after the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to be run and what hell find is an organization still trying to close the popularity gap with NASCAR. Until then, he will continue to serve as general manager for Ed Carpenter Racing, the one-car team owned by Tony Georges stepson. Georges family owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway and George was the founder of the IndyCar Series. Walker said he would no longer represent Will Power or Simon Pagenaud, last years IndyCar rookie of the year, as a consultant though his team would continue to run on the American Le Mans Series this season. Its a whole new start for Walker, who is now talking about containing costs and improving safety -- issues that have become annual themes since the series was founded in 1996 -- while fans continue to urge officials to boost speeds. Walkers job is finding the balance between drivers concerns, fans wishes and team limits. The good news is that drivers and owners feel like they finally have someone from their side working in the series office. "He gives you exactly what you need from that side," said Josef Newgarden, who drives for Fisher -- the only woman to own an IndyCar team. "There are two equations there. Youve got to figure out how to please the fans and the outside world and youve got to please the inside world of the drivers and teams. I think Derrick is the perfect guy for those inside the wall because he knows how to run a race team, and I think hes able to bridge that gap between the fans and the race teams." Walker started his racing career as a chief mechanic and built his reputation by working with or for some of the biggest names in racing history -- Graham Hill, Rick Mears, Rogerr Penske, and Al and Bobby Unser. Cheap Detroit Pistons Jerseys. He eventually started his own team, winning six races and 16 poles in 19 seasons. He also was a trendsetter, helping Willy T. Ribbs became the first black driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and later giving Sarah Fisher a foothold in the series. And after more than four decades in racing, hes ready for a change. Those who know him believe IndyCar picked the right guy. "Derrick has done a phenomenal job for ECR," Carpenter said, referring to his own team. "He really was the architect of our team and helped us establish a very strong foundation that will continue to lead to future successes. I am confident he will do an outstanding job at IndyCar. He will be an asset there that will help the race teams within the series." Walker has a much larger challenge looming. Despite having one its best seasons on the track, the television ratings continue to lag far behind those of NASCAR. Theres little Walker can do about the television contract. The more immediate concern is getting fans to the track. Outside of a handful of venues, the series has not been drawing big crowds, something Walker believes can change if the teams are able to limit expenses. "We need to reduce the inflationary aspect of it because owners dont just get (hit with) it, the fans get it because the costs get passed on to them in the form of ticket prices," Walker said. He does not pretend to know everything. Walker said he will spend the next few weeks pulling double duty -- working to keep Carpenters burgeoning race team near the front of the pack while trying to get initiated into the world of racing executive. Walker will report directly to Mark Miles, the chief executive of Hulman & Co. and the man who made the decision to hire him. Miles said race director Beaux Barfield, Brian Barnhart, the president of IndyCar operations and strategy, and Will Phillips, the series vice-president of technology, will all now report to Walker. "I have no doubt we will be more stitched together as a team," said Miles, who was previously in charge of Indys Super Bowl committee. "I think well be a higher performing team under his (Walkers) leadership." First, though, Walker must get comfortable in a job he never dreamed of taking until Miles offered. "I am going to the dark side," Walker said, drawing laughter. "There are a lot of good people at IndyCar that have been on that side of the fence a lot longer than me." ' ' '
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