Pellini making waves as athlete of the year

Chris Pellini. Former Mississauga Canoe Club member Chris Pellini competed with the men’s K4 1,000-metre team at the 29th Olympiad, held in Beijing last year. From left to right are teammates Rhys Hill, Pellini, Angus Mortimer and Brady Reardon. Torstar Network

Chris Pellini got not one but two surprises when he answered his telephone recently.
The first thing that surprised him was that the call was from the Mississauga Sports Council, with which he admits he was not familiar.
The second shock was even greater, since the Council was calling to advise him he had been voted Mississauga’s male amateur athlete-of-the-year for 2008.
“I honestly have to admit I was not aware of the Sports Council,” said Pellini, rather shyly. “But I know about them now. It’s not every day that something like this happens and it’s nice to know there is backing for you from the community. It’s nice to know that people recognize and appreciate what you have done.”
The 25-year-old Pellini is a world-class paddler who competed for Canada in the Beijing Olympics last summer, finishing in ninth place in the 1,000-metre, four-man kayak race.
Pellini, once a member of the Mississauga Canoe Club who has now moved to the Burloak Club under the eye of coach Scott Oldershaw, has been competing at a high level since 2001 when he captured a bronze medal in the two-man, 1,000-metre kayak race at the Canada Summer Games in London.
His career has been on the rise ever since. He was a silver medalist in the Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2007 in the 1,000-metre K4 competition. He also won gold medals in three events and also added a silver medal at the Canadian championships in 2007.
Last year, he finished first in the 1,000-metre K2 and K4 events and was second in the 200-metre K4 and the 500-metre K2 at the Canadian Sprint Canoe-Kayak championships in Dartmouth, N.S.
But the highlight for him, not surprisingly, was the Olympic Games in Beijing.
“I can’t even describe how amazing it was,” he said. “That whole thing about the Olympic Games is just breathtaking. I always watched the Olympics on television as a kid but being there was amazing.”
He won’t be able to attend the 35th annual awards banquet, since he recently left to compete in Poland.

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