Sarah Mitton atop the podium in Auckland, New Zealand where she qualified for Tokyo 2020 in the shot put. Photo: Athletics Canada
A few centimetres can make all the difference, in the case of 23-year-old Sarah Mitton it was a distance of just 34 centimetres that sent her to the Olympics.
Over the weekend the Brooklyn native travelled to Auckland, New Zealand to compete at the Sir Graeme Douglas International in the shot put event.
In order to qualify for the Olympic event, women must throw (at an officially recognized event) 18.5 metres. Mitton broke that mark with a throw of 18.84. That record was also her personal best for outdoor competition.
Mitton is already an accomplished athlete but it’s hard to imagine this isn’t her crowning achievement to date. She won the shot put event representing Nova Scotia at the Canada Games in 2017. She first broke the 18-metre mark back in August of 2018 when she switched her technique from what is referred to as a glide to a more rotational one. In University she competed for the University of Windsor where she won the 2018 USports shot put title as well as being named the USports Female Field Athlete of the Year Award.
Now she can begin to focus on training for the Olympics. The shot put event is scheduled to take place between July 31 and August 2.
At Rio 2016 a 18.84-metre throw would have claimed seventh place.
