Alphonso Davies, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif split Lou Marsh win as top Canadian athlete
Lou Marsh #LouMarsh
TORONTO — Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Bayern Munich left back Alphonso Davies are co-winners of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year.
It is the third tie in the 82-year history of the award, presented annually by the Toronto Star.
Media members across the country voted on the award Tuesday. Duvernay-Tardif and Davies each received 18 votes with one vote going to one of the other finalists — soccer players Christine Sinclair and Kadeisha Buchanan and Denver Nuggets basketball star Jamal Murray.
The most recent tie was in 1983 with wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen and hockey star Wayne Gretzky.
“This year has been a rollercoaster and I’m very happy to be able to share the Lou Marsh with another deserving winner @LaurentDTardif,” Davies said in a tweet. “It hasn’t been an easy year for many Canadians and we hope we were able to bring some happiness to you with our accomplishments this year.”
Duvernay-Tardif, a McGill University medical school graduate, won the Super Bowl as a starter with the Chiefs before becoming the first NFL player to opt out of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A native of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., Duvernay-Tardif chose to volunteer in a long-term care facility in his home province at the height of the pandemic’s first wave.
The 29-year-old Duvernay-Tardif was one of five athletes recognized as “Sportsperson of the Year: The Activist Athlete” by Sports Illustrated on Sunday.
“Humbled to win the Lou Marsh Award with @AlphonsoDavies, one of the greatest athletes Canada has ever produced,” Duvernay-Tardif posted on Twitter.
The 20-year-old Davies became the first Canadian to win a Champions League men’s title.
In June, Davies was named Bundesliga rookie of the year in voting by fans, clubs and the media. Kicker magazine, a German sports magazine that focuses mainly on football, included him in its Bundesliga team of the season.
Last week, ESPN ranked Davies as the second-best left fullback in the world, behind Liverpool’s Andy Robertson.
Davies was named the top Canadian male soccer player for 2020 last week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2020.
The Canadian Press