Another good article on Victoria triathlete Simon Whitfield from yesterday’s Province newspaper, written by Terry Bell

School speaking engagement changed his mentality. A few years ago Victoria triathlete Simon Whitfield was looking at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing as a chance to compete as best he could and perhaps close out a career. He even joked about being a tourist. He’d see the sights. He’d take a walk along the Great Wall. Maybe he’d head to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors.

Well that was then. Now a rejuvenated Whitfield plans on being a warrior in China. Instead of home videos he wants to bring back a medal, just like he did in 2000 when he won gold in Sydney.

Whitfield has been on a new and improved training regimen the last two years and now sits second in the International Triathlon Union World Cup points standings as he heads to Cancun for this weekend’s season finale.

“It wasn’t that I wanted to do that (be a tourist),” he said this week. “I just joked about it.

“But I wasn’t sure how fast I’d be at 33. I used to think that I went to Sydney as a kid, Athens (the 2004 Olympics where he placed 11th) as a competitor and that I’d go to Beijing as a tourist. I don’t know why I made that assumption.”

It is hard to understand those feelings now.

Whitfield will finish a splendid season in Cancun. Besides the World Cup standing, he placed fourth at world championships in Hamburg in August and fifth in a race against the world’s best on the 2008 Olympic course in September. In June he won an ITU World Cup in Vancouver.

Whitfield said the change in thinking came to him after a speaking engagement at a school.

“I go to a lot of schools and I got back from one of them and I kind of listened to what I had just said,” he explained. “I thought, I’m telling kids to dream big and to not put limitations on themselves and here I am putting a limitation on myself by saying I’m going to go to Beijing just to participate.”

So Whitfield talked to his coach, Joel Filliol. They raised their level of expectation and accountability, formed a training group with other triathletes and started to train more efficiently.

The results have been remarkable.

“I’m in the best shape of my life and moving towards even better shape,” Whitfield said.

“If I got to race the racer I was three years ago, I would demolish him. I’d put a minute on that guy swimming, I’d ride away from him and then I’d out-run him. It’s fun to make that progress and keep making it.”

Beijing was a learning experience for Whitfield. He got a look at the Olympic course, situated about 50 miles from central Beijing and got to experience, first hand, the challenging conditions in the Chinese mega-city.

“I found it shocking,” he said of the smog and air quality. “Flying into Beijing, the air quality, you couldn’t even see a building. I couldn’t imagine competing there. Luckily, we’re about 50 miles out of Beijing. I couldn’t imagine competing (in the city) if they don’t change it.

“But I truly think they will make substantial changes. They will have to. They couldn’t be on the world stage and have it show off like it does right now. I think nine months from now we’ll see a vastly difference place.”

Whitfield grew to like the course.

“When I first saw it I thought it was a terrible course but when I raced it I started to like it,” he said. “It’s a one lap swim, there are some challenges on the bike and it’s a hard run, especially in the heat. It’s going to be won by a man.”

And the way things are going, that man might just be Simon Whitfield.