Canada's Dylan Armstrong competes in the men's shot put final at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara October 25, 2011. Armstrong won the gold medal.DESMOND BOYLAN/Reuters
Shot putter Dylan Armstrong of Kamloops, B.C., heads the list of finalists nominated for three of Athletics Canada's major awards and his coach Anatoliy Bondarchuk heads another of the short lists, as the national body for track and field unveiled its stars and their achievements Friday.
Armstrong, 30, is nominated as the best overall athlete in track and field, the best field athlete and the best performance of the season, Bondarchuck us nominated as coach of the year.
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Armstrong.had a brilliant breakout season in which he dominated the big man's sport by winning the points race in the Diamond League elite events; posting a season-best throw of 22.21 metres – which stands up as the Canadian record; taking Canada's first world championship medal in shot put in Daegu, South Korea; and taking a Pan American Games gold, launching the steel ball a meet-records 21.23 metres.
The winners will be unveiled Wednesday December 21, and will be honoured at a banquet following the 2012 Canadian Championships in Calgary.
The finalists and winners are chosen by Athletics Canada's Awards Committee from a nominee pool put forward by the membership.