Many local athletes, coaches and athletic organizations are celebrating after winning a 2016 WESPY Award.
The 11th Annual Windsor Essex Sports Persons of the Year Award ceremony celebrated perseverance and determination of athletes participating in area sports from September 2014 to December 2015.
Male Athlete of the the Year Lionel Sanders won after a successful year in ironman and triathlon competitions.
"I won the ironman in Arizona in sub-8 hours which is considered kind of the holy grail in ironman racing. I was the third Canadian to ever do that. I also won, just a little while ago, the Pan American Pro Championship for triathlons," says Sanders.
He says the recognition here is an honour and a win for the entire sport.
"I didn't think that I had a shot to win it because triathlon is not the most popular sport so I figured hockey would certainly take precedent so just to be nominated for the award was a win just there," says Sanders.
Jason Hernadez from St. Clair College and Spencer Pommells with the Windsor Lancers Men's Hockey Team were also nominated for the award.
This year's keynote speaker was Heather Abbott a survivor from the Boston Marathon bombings who had to have her leg amputated. She spoke about how it took personal strength, the support of the people around her and the knowledge that her story could help others to recover from her injuries and start living her life again.
