Georges St-Pierre is Sportsnet’s Canadian Athlete of the Year for an unprecedented third year in a row, beating out 2007 winner Sidney Crosby in the final of an online fan vote.

St-Pierre’s path to his third-straight award was not an easy one the third time around. Competing against 15 other Canadians in a bracket-style tournament to determine the winner, readers voted for their choice through four head-to-head rounds over the course of 16 days.

“Winning the Rogers Sportsnet Canadian Athlete of the Year award for the third time means a lot to me,” St-Pierre told sportsnet.ca. “This year there were a lot of nominees that I really respect, so I am honoured that the fans chose me. Thanks to all my fans for their support.”

The 29-year-old mixed martial artist from Saint-Isidore, Que., beat out Olympic gold-medallist Maelle Ricker in the opening round before a tough date with NL MVP Joey Votto, who also won this year’s Lou Marsh Award as top Canadian athlete voted by the media.

After getting past Votto, St-Pierre had to beat out first-time Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Toews, who was also named Best Forward at the 2010 Olympic Hockey tournament in February en route to Canada taking gold in Vancouver.

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