Tom Johnson, Randy Bennett Receive Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Awards

OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, October 5. THE Coaching Association of Canada announced the names of the 30 coaches who are the 2007 recipients of the Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Awards.

The awards will be presented during Petro-Canada Sport Leadership sportif, scheduled to take place in Halifax, Oct. 12-14. The Sport Leadership Awards Ceremony will take place on Friday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. at the Cunard Centre.

This year, these prestigious awards recognize coaches whose athletes won medals over the past year at open world championships.

"At Petro-Canada, we dream big, and that's why we support coaches who do the same," says Steven Keith, Petro-Canada's director of Olympic and Community Partnerships. "We are proud to support the 2007 Coaching Excellence Award winners."

Swimming Canada would like to congratulate Tom Johnson of Vancouver, coach of Brent Hayden, 100 meters freestyle world champion and of Brian Johns, a member of the bronze medal-winning 800 meters freestyle relay and Randy Bennett of Victoria, coach of Rick Say, a member of the bronze medal-winning 800 meters freestyle relay team.

Canada also awarded a trio of diving coaches with the honor based on the efforts of Blythe Hartley, Alexandre Despatie and Arturo Miranda.

Hartley's coach, Scott Cranham of Calgary, helped the diver to a silver medal on the one-meter at worlds, while Michel Larouche of Montreal coached Despatie to a silver medal as well, but on the three-meter. Meanwhile, Yi Hua Li of Point Claire helped Miranda, along with Despatie, win the three-meter synchro silver medal.

Special thanks to Swimming Canada for contributing this report.

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