In a year that has been so upside down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the voters who select Canada’s female athlete of the year got it right in 2020.
Christine Sinclair is this year’s choice, and a wise one at that, as the 37-year-old Canadian soccer icon added another chapter to her unprecedented legacy in the world’s more popular sport in 2020.
The longtime captain of Canada’s women’s national soccer team broke American Abby Wambach’s international goal scoring record of 184 this past spring at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Texas.
She added two more at that tournament, and now stands at 186 in 296 international appearances, while helping Canada secure a berth in next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
A Canadian woman is the all-time greatest goal scorer in the history of soccer, men or women — how cool is that?
The record-breaking achievement earned the Burnaby, B.C., native her second career Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as The Canadian Press female athlete of the year. Sinclair also won it in 2012 after leading Canada to a bronze medal at the London Olympics.
Sinclair received 20 of 66 votes cast by the voters, which include sports editors, writers and broadcasters from across Canada, beating out fellow soccer player Kadeisha Buchanan, Hamilton basketball star Kia Nurse, short-track speedskater Kim Boutin and golfer Brooke Henderson.
All these women had exceptional seasons in what’s been a difficult year, particularly for those athletes who are not part of a multibillion-dollar professional league.
Hats off to Christine Sinclair, again, for being Canada’s best.
Rick Zamperin is the assistant program, news and senior sports director at Global News Radio 900 CHML.
Comments