When Glenroy Gilbert stepped off the track for the final time as an athlete he knew he didn’t want to stray too far from the sport that took him from the sand pits of Laurentian High School to the top of the Olympic podium. Less than a year later, Gilbert was back in the sport as a coach. In the 20 years that have followed, the man affectionately known as “G” has again risen to the top of his craft. On Wednesday night, he was once again recognized as Ottawa’s Male Coach of the Year – the fifth time he has been bestowed the honour.
It was a banner year for Gilbert in 2022. The national team head coach led Canada to its highest ever finish at the World Athletics Championship, a tie for sixth with China. However, in the eyes of most, Gilbert’s major success will be as the leader the men’s relay program and the image of Andre DeGrasse crossing the finish line of the 4×100 in Eugene, arms fully stretched out in celebration, as Canada claimed its first global title in the event since 1997. Coincidentally, Gilbert was a member of that team too.
With his fifth Coach of the Year Honour, Gilbert inches closer to famed Carleton basketball Coach Dave Smart’s record of six.
After reaching the top of the podium at the Canadian Cross Country Championships last November, the Lions U18 Girls were named Ottawa’s Female Team of the Year. It is the second straight year the team has been honoured at the Ottawa Sport Awards.
Led by scorers Amelia Van Brabant, Joceyln Giannotti, Louise Stonham, and Quinn Coughlin the U18 girls team enjoyed a 30 point cushion over second place South Simcoe Dufferin. The victory was the Club’s 12th national team title and the team became only the second in Club history to win back-to-back championships.
On an individual level, Lauren Gale was recognized as the City’s top performer in Athletics. The 23-year old had the best season of her career as she set three new Canadian Records indoors and was a first team All-American in the 400 metres after her eighth place finish. She continued the strong running outdoors, setting new Club records at 200 and 400 metres and helping the Lions set a new Canadian Club Record in the 4×400 metre relay. Her season culminated at the World Championships where she became the first Club member to ever compete in two individual events at a global championship.
A triple gold medalist at the Canadian Championships, Bianca Borgella was recognized as Ottawa’s top Parasport athlete. The University of Ottawa student set national records in both the T13 100 and 400 metres enroute to gold medals at the national championships before anchoring the Lions U20 4×100 team to gold. Borgella finished the 2022 season ranked third and seventh globally in the 100 and 400 metre events respectively.
Saul Taler was recognized as the city’s top cross country runner for 2022. The grade 10 Glebe student had a impressive string of performances last fall, beginning with a gold medal at the OFSAA championships – the first by a Lions since 2017. He followed that performance up with a silver medal at the Ontario U16 Championships where he also led the Lions to a team title. He rounded out the season with a top-50 finish in the U18 boys race at the Canadian Championships.
Matteo Padoin-Castillo was recognized as a member of Immaculata High School’s OFSAA winning junior boy’s cross country team. Matteo finished 54th overall in the race and was Immaculata’s third scorer.
Former Lions, Mike Evelyn (bobsleigh) and Mirela Rahneva (skeleton) were also recognized Wednesday as the top athletes in their respective sports at the Ottawa Sport Awards. Both athletes were members of Team Canada at the Beijing ‘22 Olympic Winter Games last February.