Penny Oleksiak wins Lou Marsh Award as Canada's top athlete

Penny Oleksiak is golden once again.

On Tuesday afternoon, the 16-year-old swimmer won the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s top athlete. The Toronto native is the 74th recipient and the youngest winner of the coveted trophy.

Oleksiak burst onto the scene at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. She became the youngest Canadian to win a gold medal in a Games when she swam the 100-metre freestyle in which she set an Olympic record.

She also became the first Canadian to win four medals in a single summer Olympics with a gold (100-metre freestyle), silver (200-metre butterfly) and two bronze (4×100 and 4×200 relays).

The high school student at Monarch Park Collegiate beat out the likes of Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, teen golf sensation Brooke Henderson, and fellow Olympic medallists Andre De Grasse (sprinting) and Derek Drouin (high jump) for the honours.

The award is given to Canada’s best athlete, regardless of whether they are a professional or an amateur. Last year’s winner was Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price.

The Lou Marsh Award is voted on by Canadian sports editors and broadcasters from coast-to-coast. The trophy is named after former Toronto Star sports editor, Lou Marsh, who was a fixture on the sporting scene as both an athlete and referee.

Yahoo Canada Sports managing editor, Dan Toman, who was on the committee, voted for Crosby.