Team Canada Names Cyclist Tara Whitten as Closing Ceremony Flagbearer

Canada finishes fourth in medal count at Commonwealth Games with 75 medals

DELHI, India, October 13, 2010 – Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) and Cycling Canada are proud to announce that cyclist and quadruple Games medallist, Tara Whitten (Edmonton, AB), has been named Team Canada’s Flag Bearer for the closing ceremony at the XIXth Commonwealth Games. The announcement was made today at Team Canada’s Closing Press Conference at the Main Press Centre in Delhi, India.

Whitten had an outstanding performance at these Games, the only Canadian athlete to win four medals – a gold in the women’s road time trial and three bronze medals in the 3,000m individual pursuit, the 25km points race, and as a member of the team sprint event.

“Tara’s performance at these Games is nothing short of inspiring,” said Team Canada Chef de Mission, Martha Deacon. “She showed tremendous versatility in performing at the highest level on both the velodrome track and in the road events and her pursuit of excellence embodies the level of commitment and perseverance that the rest of her Team Canada teammates displayed here in Delhi.”

"When I came to the Games, I never expected that this would happen and they would end with me being the flag bearer. There are so many fantastic athletes here with great results. I am so honoured to do this for Canada," said Whitten.

Whitten is the second female cyclist from Edmonton to be named as Canadian Flag Bearer for the Commonwealth Games. The first was Lori-Ann Muenzer, who was the Closing Ceremony Flag Bearer at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. Muenzer went on to win an Olympic gold medal in match sprint at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens – the only Canadian cyclist ever to win an Olympic gold medal.

The Canadian team also named two “athletes of honour” – gold medallists Ohenewa Akuffo (wrestling) and Christine Girard (weightlifting) – who will march on either side of Whitten into the Closing Ceremony. The Delhi 2010 organizing committee invited each country to select athletes of honour whose performance and contribution to the team was deemed significant.

Canada finishes these Games with 75 medals, fourth in the overall medal count with 26 gold, 17 silver and 32 bronze medals. Australia finished first overall with 177 medals, England second with 142 medals and the host country India third with 101 medals, a significant increase over the 49 medals they won at the last Games in Melbourne, Australia. Canada won a total of 87 medals in Melbourne for third in the overall medal count.

“We came here with a goal to provide a high quality environment so athletes and coaches could do their job and perform exceptionally well. We did that”, said Scott Stevenson, Director of Sport for CGC. He added: “In terms of overall medal count, we were right on target, hoping to achieve between 75 and 80 medals. We thought this kind of result would put us in third but we didn’t anticipate India would double their Melbourne result. It’s truly a testament to the value of hosting Games. Congratulations to India.”

About The Canadian Cycling Association

The Canadian Cycling Association (CCA) is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. Founded in 1882, the CCA aims to create and sustain an effective system that develops talented Canadian cyclists to achieve Olympic, Paralympic and World Championship medal performances. With the vision to be a leading competitive cycling nation by 2020 celebrating enhanced international success, increased national participation and world class event hosting, the CCA manages the National teams, hosts national and international events, and administers community programs to promote Cycling in Canada. For more information, please visit: www.canadian-cycling.com

About Commonwealth Games Canada

Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) is the international franchise holder for the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth movement in Canada, and an active, contributing member of the Canadian sport community. The mission of Commonwealth Games Canada is to strengthen sport within Canada and throughout the Commonwealth, by participating in the Commonwealth Games and by using sport as a development tool.

Jackie DeSouza
Press Chief, Delhi 2010
Commonwealth Games Canada
Delhi mobile: +91 7838504117
jackie.desouza@sympatico.ca