Filliol chases Olympic glory
By ROB LONGLEY, TORONTO SUN
She lives at the other end of the country now, but when Natasha Filliol returns home to Paris, Ont., she's the girl next door. The residents of the small southwestern Ontario town share the feeling towards the 23-year-old triathlete who is doggedly chasing her Olympic dream.
"When I went back for Christmas, everyone was so supportive of me," Filliol said this week from her training base in Victoria, B.C. "My mother put together a calendar as a fundraiser and everywhere I went, there it was. It's funny to see yourself. Paris is a town where everybody knows everybody but it's been pretty neat."
Even at 5-foot-3, 105-pounds, it's tough for her to hide. Filliol already has met the qualifying standard for the Games but still has to fight her way onto the Canadian team.
One of three Olympic spots for Canadian women was sewn up by Penticton, B.C.'s Jill Savege when she won gold at the 2003 Pan American Games. But Filliol believes a productive winter of training has her poised to make a solid run.
"Never in my wildest dreams, even in 2000, would I have dreamt that I would be competing to go to the Olympics," she said. "Everything has happened so fast and every once in a while I just pinch myself."
No matter how far abroad she travels, Filliol has a piece of Paris with her. Two of her major sponsors are a travel agent and an accounting firm from her home town.
Designed by her husband/coach, Joel, Filliol has her own website (www.natashafilliol.com) for friends, fans and fellow competitors to follow her progress.
Until she makes the team, these Games are still just a dream for Filliol, but one that she is convinced is attainable. She has spent much of the winter working on her swimming to complement her already strong running and cycling legs.
"I spent a lot of time in Florida training to focus on what has been my weakness," she said. "Last year if I was 10 or 20 seconds faster it could have made the difference from a top 10 or top 15 finish to a podium. It can be the make or break leg."
Filliol became a legitimate contender to make the Olympic team when she captured an International Triathlon Union World Cup event in Cancun, Mexico, this past November.
It allowed her to soar up the world rankings and gather confidence heading into this season.
Next week she leaves for her first ITU World Cup test of the season at Ishigaki, Japan on April 11. But the two events that will ultimately decide her Olympic fate are the World Championships in Madeira, Portugal, on May 8 and an ITU World Cup event in Edmonton on July 11.
"There are going to be five or six of us fighting for the two spots," Filliol said. "It's good to have someone to push you."
Early in an Olympic year and yet to punch her ticket, Filliol is a virtual unknown outside of her sport and her hometown.
But who knew of Simon Whitfield four years ago? Whitfield was the No. 13 ranked male triathlete in the world heading into the Sydney Games. When Whitfield won gold, however, it was a memorable day for all Canadians. For Filliol and her husband, it was especially so.
"It was our wedding day, we were walking down the aisle," Filliol said. "We got a message at the wedding and we bolted back to watch all the highlights. It was fabulous."
