Canadian Simon Whitfield’s photo finish victory in the 2009 Hy-Vee ITU Elite Cup event has been named “Race of the Year” by Triathlete magazine.

Whitfield, the sport’s first Olympic gold medalist, outkicked 2008 Olympic champion Jan Frodeno of Germany, Australian Brad Kahlefeldt and Kris Gemmell of New Zealand to win the $200,000 grand prize.

The “Race of the Year” designation is part of the magazine’s “Triathletes of the Year” wrap-up in the February edition.

Whitfield, who finished second to Frodeno at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was mired in a pack of six competitors for the final portion of the July 27 event at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines.

"Everyone was waiting and kind of jockeying. No one quite knew what to do,” he said after the race. “You don't see a lot of sprint finishes with six guys. I think there was a little bit of unknown territory for each of us.”

Whitfield, 34, broke the tape in 1 hour, 49 minutes and 43 seconds. Triathlete editors called it “one of the closest triathlon finishes ever captured on film.”