Long time Varsity Blues swimming head coach Byron MacDonald will now need a second mantle to hold his out-of-competition awards.

MacDonald won a Gemini Award for best sports analyst through his coverage of swimming for the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) at the 2008 Olympic Games in Bejing, China.

His first Gemini came in 2005, following the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Now in his 31st year as the Varsity Blues head coach, MacDonald has been a commentator for the CBC since 1984 and guided viewers not only through the Canadian races, but through the historical achievements of eight-time gold-medalist Michael Phelps.

He attributes part of his win to the fact that the swimming competition aired during prime time, when the world watched Michael Phelps set the record for most gold medals won at the Olympics. “We had one of the greatest stories in the history of the Olympics, and we were able to tell it on prime time.”

Play-by-play partner Steve Armitage, who has teamed up with MacDonald for almost 20 years and through four Olympic Games, also took a Gemini for best sports play-by-play announcer.

“Steve and I do really good research, to humanize the athletes for viewers and really tell a story.” said MacDonald.

Despite the forces in his favour, MacDonald admits to a measure of shock that swimming coverage took the prize over the more popular TV sports. He beat out Glen Suitor for the TSN coverage of the 2008 Grey Cup, and Mike Milbury of Hockey Night in Canada fame.

Back on deck, MacDonald looks to lead the Varsity Blues men’s and women’s swim teams back to the top of the national podium when U of T hosts the 2010 CIS swimming championships, February 18-20, in Varsity Pool.