TORONTO - Swimmer Penny Oleksiak is the winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year.

The Toronto Star award is selected annually by a panel of sports journalists from across the country.

Oleksiak won four medals at the Rio Olympics last summer, including gold in the 100-metre freestyle.

She added four more medals at the short-course world championship this month in Windsor.

The 16-year-old Toronto swimmer edged Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby for the honour.

Other finalists were sprinter Andre De Grasse, golfer Brooke Henderson, Paralympic swimmer Aurelie Rivard, tennis player Milos Raonic and high jumper Derek Drouin.