SaltWire E-Edition

Mitton at home in the circle

Brooklyn shot put sensation no longer playing it safe

GEORGE MYRER SALTWIRE NETWORK gmyrer@saltwire.com @GMyrer

“I feel like women’s shot put is really on the rise. Every meet someone is pushing the boundaries, so it’s cool to be a part of that.” Sarah Mitton Shot putter

Sarah Mitton's stay atop the leaderboard of the women's shot put world was shortlived.

But that's not uncommon in a sport measured in metres and centimetres.

On June 25, the Brooklyn, N.S., native passed the 20-metre mark for the first time in her career to capture the Canadian championship in Langley, B.C. Her 20.33metre effort became the longest throw of the 2022 season.

But the mark didn't last long.

“I actually lost it already,” said Mitton, laughing about her short reign at the top of the shot put world. “It was a good 12 hours.”

Mitton was surpassed by American Chase Ealey (20.51) and Jiayuan Song of China (20.38).

“I feel like women's shot put is really on the rise. Every meet someone is pushing the boundaries, so it's cool to be a part of that. There are a lot of girls fighting for that top spot now. Hopefully, I can do that again.”

MAGICAL SEASON

The 2022 season has been a remarkable ride for the 26-year-old. Mitton has been on the rise since breaking the 19-metre barrier (19.16) for the first time in February at an indoor meet in New York.

In May, Mitton broke the Canadian record with a throw of 19.58 at the Golden Horseshoe Prep Meet in Hamilton.

“I was talking to one of my friends and I put it into the perspective that I broke the 19- and 20-metre barrier this season. That's huge at this level. It puts into perspective how far I've come in this short period.”

Mitton said she was able to regroup from last year's disappointing Olympics experience with a change in her mindset. Mitton was unable to get past the qualification round. Playing it safe was no longer an option if she wanted to compete at the top level of the sport.

really “My aha-moment was a big confidence boost after Tokyo,” said Mitton. “I had to come home with my tail between my legs. I wasn't super proud of my performance. I was happy to be there and get that experience.

“In the winter, my coach (Richard Parkinson) and I

learning worked really hard on how to save a throw while going for it,” Mitton said.

“I felt like I've been able to throw 19 or some better distances than I had seen, but I would foul them almost every time. This year the focus was how do we get those? And how do we get those at the big competitions, so I'm not going in and backing off a little to throw a safe throw?” she continued.

“It's been really nice because now I can get in the circle and do what I do and not worry about fouling. I've gotten really good at saving throws. Now I can get in the circle and compete instead of being worried about being safe and saving the throws. The distances have come because now I can just giv'er.”

The record-setting Hamilton meet proved to Mitton that she could throw long.

“In Hamilton, when I broke the Canadian record the first time, I had not trained a whole lot that week and that throw was so easy. It was different from my 20-metre throw. I threw 19.58 which was almost effortless. I feel like I didn't have to go very hard and it kind of clicked,” she said.

“I was like, ‘holy crap' I just threw 19.58 and I don't feel like I tried. If that's how that feels, I knew there was so much more in the tank. Then I said to my coach, ‘now I believe I can throw 20.' He's been saying that for years. A metre or two in shot put is huge. Once I hit 19.58, I felt like there was something special going to happen this year. There's so much more in here.”

Mitton said she put in a lot of hours to fix a technical piece that allowed her to stay more balanced in the circle. It took a while for Mitton to get the feel, but once she did, it was ‘like having a weight off of my shoulders.'

“It's been challenging because at the beginning, I was really bad at it,” said Mitton. “I was fouling a lot of throws. Now I am super carefree in the circle. That's the biggest part. I know a lot of people on the Athletics Canada side said they have noticed that my competition confidence has gone way up. That's huge going into any major events.”

READY FOR WORLDS

Mitton doesn't have much time to rest on her laurels. She flew to Stockholm on June 28 for a Diamond League competition on June 30. Her schedule called for a pre-worlds event in Edmonton on July 3 and a holding camp in Langley, B.C. The world championships are in Eugene, Ore., from July 1524.

Mitton competes in qualifying on Friday, July 15 (9:05 p.m. AT).

Even with a 20.33 throw on her resume, Mitton is not looking at anything past the qualification round.

people “I am trying not to let change my mindset going into worlds,” she said. “I have had a difficult time getting through the qualifying and a lot of that was me holding back and having that fear of fouling. I think I've overcome that. I tell them it's great to have that distance, but I can't win a medal if I don't get through the qualifying.”

While it's only been a year since the 2021 Beijing Olympics, Mitton sees a different athlete when she looks in the mirror. The uncertainty in the circle is gone.

“It almost feels like it's been a couple of years,” said Mitton.

“It feels that's how far I've come since then. It's been a busy year and it will continue to be a busy year,” she continued.

“It's been really good and I feel like I have done a lot of growing since (the Olympics). Especially, growing up in the circle, which is wonderful.”

VALLEY JOURNAL ADVERTISER

en-ca

2022-07-05T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-07-05T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://saltwire.pressreader.com/article/281706913382851

SaltWire Network