Olympic gold medallist Bruny Surin loses Laval council seat bid

Olympic gold-medal sprinter Bruny Surin has finished as the runner-up in his first political bid.

Surin ran in Sunday’s  municipal byelection in Laval, Que., a city just north of Montreal, finishing second in an attempt to become councillor in the Marc-Aurele-Fortin district.

The four-time Olympian ran under the banner of the Mouvement Lavallois party led by Laval’s current mayor, Marc Demers.

He lost narrowly to Michel Trottier, leader of the Parti Laval, who garnered 1,501 votes to Surin’s 1,419.

The seat was vacant after the death of the previous councillor, and Surin had said his interest in promoting healthy lifestyles and his desire for community involvement was behind his decision to enter politics.

Surin, 52, was a member of the Canadian team that won a gold medal in the 4×100 metre relay at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Since retiring from track and field in 2002, Surin has worked as a businessman, speaker and head of the Bruny Surin foundation, which promotes healthy living among youth.