Adam van Koeverden captures Ontario athlete of the year award

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[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/vankoeverden.jpg” caption=”Adam van Koeverden”]McMaster student Adam van Koeverden, Canada's only two-medal winner at the Athens Olympics, has been chosen Ontario athlete of the year for 2004 in a poll governed by the Ontario Sport Legends Hall of Fame.

In winning, van Koeverden captures the Syl Apps Award in memory of the former Maple Leafs' star, world-calibre pole vaulter and McMaster alumni '36. Lori-Ann Muenzer, who won cycling gold in Athens, placed second in the voting, while McMaster University running back Jesse Lumsden was third. Toronto Argonauts quarterback Damon Allen and hurdler Perdita Felicien also received a number of votes in balloting by the media, the hall of fame's board of directors and advisory board and past honoured inductees.

Van Koeverden becomes the first non-professional athlete to win the Apps Award since its inception in 1997. Mike Weir has won the award three times, Roger Clemens has won it twice, while Steve Yzerman and Vince Carter have also won.

Van Koeverden upset favourite Nathan Baggaley of Australia in Athens by coming from behind to win gold in the K-1 500 metres. The day before, van Koeverden took the bronze medal in his specialty, the K-1 1,000 metres. As a result, he was chosen Canada's flag-bearer for the closing ceremonies.

Van Koeverden also finished first in the K-1 1,000 and second and third in K-1 1,500 in World Cup competitions last year. Last December, he was voted the Lou Marsh Trophy winner as Canada's athlete of the year.

Van Koeverden will be feted by the OSLHF at a dinner to be held in Toronto in June along with latest inductees: the hockey trio of Wayne Gretzky, Phil Esposito and Punch Imlach, baseball star Joe Carter, journalist Jim Hunt, rowing legend Silken Laumann, Al Hackner's 1985 curling rink and the veterans-category selections of ex-Argos coach Lew Hayman and NHL goaltending great George Hainsworth.

Syl Apps received a political economics degree from McMaster in 1936. He also has served on the University's Board of Governors and assisted with some of McMaster's major fundraising campaigns.