Sarah Mitton in her windup with the shot tucked into her chinMark Blinch/COC
Mark Blinch/COC

Sarah Mitton

Biography

Sarah Mitton became one of the world’s best shot putters in 2022. Over the course of the season, she improved on her personal best from 2021 by 1.44 metres, setting the Canadian record at 20.33m at the Canadian Championships in late June. She won three Diamond League medals, including silver at the Diamond League Final in Zurich. She captured gold at the Commonwealth Games just a couple of weeks after placing fourth at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Her best throw there actually matched that of the bronze medallist, but Mitton was pushed off the podium by the tiebreaker of second best throw.

Mitton won the 2015 junior national shot put title and made her international debut with Canada later that summer Junior Pan American Championships where she finished fourth. In 2017 she won gold as a member of Team Nova Scotia at the Canada Summer Games. That year she competed in her first senior national championships, earning a bronze medal. She finished second at the same event the next two years. Mitton broke the 18-metre mark for the first time in August 2018, achieving a then-personal best of 18.52m after switching techniques from glide to rotational.

In 2019 Mitton represented Canada at the Pan Am Games in Lima where she finished sixth. She also made her World Athletics Championships debut at the end of the year. In May 2021, Mitton recorded a new personal best of 18.89m at a meet in Azusa, California. She made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

Mitton competed collegiately at the University of Windsor. With the Lancers she won the 2017 OUA shot put title and came third at the USports Championships. In 2018 she won the USports shot put title and was named the USports Female Field Athlete of the Year. While at Windsor, Mitton represented Canada at a pair of Universiades, making the final in her first go in 2017 before taking gold in 2019.

A Little More About Sarah

Getting into the Sport: Started throwing in junior high school and after breaking a local record was recruited to a track and field team which jump started her career… Although her main focus has been shot put, she would always run sprints and jumps for team points at meets; in 2013 she even made the provincial team for the heptathlon… Outside Interests: Enjoys reading, sightseeing, Netflix, spending time by the ocean… Graduated from the University of Windsor in 2018 with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology… Works in marine biology/research or as a commercial scuba diver…

Olympic Highlights

Games Sport Event Finish
2020 TokyoAthleticsShot Put - Women28

Notable International Results

Olympic Games: 2020 - 28th (shot put)

Pan American Games: 2019 - 6th (shot put)

World Athletics Championships: 2022 - 4th (shot put); 2019 - 24th (shot put)

Commonwealth Games: 2022 - GOLD (shot put)

FISU Universiade: 2019 - GOLD (shot put); 2017 - 10th (shot put)

NACAC Championships: 2022 - GOLD (shot put)

Pan American Championships (junior): 2015 - 4th (shot put)