Canadian shot putter Sarah Mitton continues strong season with win at Edmonton Athletics Invitational | CBC Sports

Top Canadian shot putter Sarah Mitton picked up her third outdoors victory of the year at the Edmonton Athletics Invitational on Thursday, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour.

The Brooklyn, N.S., native won the women’s event with a throw of 19.05 metres on her third of five attempts at Foote Field. Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd fell just short of Mitton’s mark with a final throw that travelled 18.96 metres.

Mitton, who has already qualified for the Paris Olympics, was fresh off a win at the New York City Grand Prix on Sunday. The world indoor champion lowered her Canadian women’s shot put record on May 11 with a world-leading throw of 20.68 metres at a meet in Fleetwood, Pa. She has now won eight of 12 events this year, surpassing 20 metres four times.

The 27-year-old is ranked second in the world behind two-time defending world champion Chase Jackson of the United States.

WATCH | Mitton wins Continental Tour stop in New York:

Edmonton middle-distance runner Marco Arop, 25, won the men’s 800 metres in front of the hometown crowd, clocking 1:44.58 seconds. The reigning world champion beat Mexico’s Jesus Tonatiu Lopez by 0.56 seconds.

Arop, who holds the national record in the event, also won in Edmonton last summer and in 2022.

Olympic-bound Canadian sprinter Audrey Leduc won the women’s 100 metres in 11.07 seconds earlier in the day, finishing ahead of countrymates Jacqueline Madogo (11.14) and Sade McCreath (11.24) in the eight-woman final.

Leduc set Canadian records and met the Olympic qualifying standards in both the women’s 100 and 200 in the last two months with times of 10.96 and 22.36. The 25-year-old from Gatineau, Que., was recently named the U Sports female athlete of the year after going unbeaten in the 60 metres en route to a national title with the University of Laval.

All Canadian athletes have through June 30 to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

WATCH | Sarah Mitton in conversation with Ariel Helwani:

Did Sarah Mitton almost leave shot put behind? A conversation with Ariel Helwani

CBC Olympics host Ariel Helwani sits down with world championship silver medallist Sarah Mitton to talk about her Olympic experience, goals for Paris, and how close she came to leaving the sport of shot put.