GLASGOW, United Kingdom – Sarah Mitton set a Canadian record and took gold in the women's shot put at the IAAF World Indoor Championships on Friday.
Mitton's record throw on her sixth and final attempt was 20.22 metres.
The Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games champion from Brooklyn, NS, first set a new national record on her fourth throw of 20.20, which would have been good enough to secure the gold medal.
“It's really exciting in the last round when you know you're in the lead and you get the last shot and you know you've already won the competition… You can just put everything into it because no matter what you do, you're still the champion,” Mitton said in a television interview after her win. “.
German Yemisi Ogunleye won the silver medal with a throw of 20.19 seconds, while American Chase Jackson won the bronze medal with a throw of 19.67 seconds.
“It feels great to win my first world title,” Mitton said. “I'm really excited about the distances all the women travel. The margins are always small.”
The 27-year-old Mitton competed in four events before the indoor championships, returning her latest national indoor record to 20.08 meters from 19.80 meters on February 20 in the Czech Republic.
The result was the second best mark in the world entering these championships, behind Dutchwoman Jessica Schilder, with a time of 20.31 seconds.
Schilder finished fifth Friday with a throw of 19.37.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2024.
Canadian Press
