Simon Whitfield fails to complete triathlon after a nasty bicycle crash

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      The only man to ever win Olympic gold for Canada in the triathlon was unable to complete the event at the London Games.

      Victoria's Simon Whitfield hit a speed bump on the cycling portion of the race and went flying over the handlebars.

      "I wanted to keep going but my bike was in pieces and my leg and foot was gashed up pretty good," he said in a statement distributed by the Canadian Olympic Committee. "There was no way. I was right there. I had one of the best swims I had in a while. We train four years for this and unfortunately it happens. I've had two incredible Olympics."

      Whitfield was the flag bearer during the Olympic opening ceremony.

      Late last week, he criticized the coaching staff of female Canadian triathlete Paula Findlay for allegedly mismanaging her hip injury, which contributed to her 52nd-place finish in the women's event.

      Canadian Kyle Jones finished the men's triathlon with a time of 1:49:58, leaving him in 25th place. His teammate, Brent McMahon, finished in 1:50:03, coming 27th.

      "I am disappointed for sure," Jones said. "That was probably one of the worst swims and bikes that I have had in a long time. The swim was so tough today. I got a lot of experience this week and I need to build from this."

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