Sarah Mitton 1st-ever Canadian woman to advance to Olympic shot put final | CBC Sports

Raising both arms to the sky inside a packed Stade de France, Mitton knew what she had accomplished.

At 1:37 p.m. ET on Friday, she will be the first Canadian woman to compete in a shot put final at the Olympics after securing a berth in her first attempt of the qualification round on Thursday.

“That’s the way I like it. It’s a lot less stressful when you’re one and done,” the 28-year-old said from Saint-Denis, France in an interview with CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux.

With her mom in the crowd, Mitton threw 19.77 metres to surpass the 19.17 automatic entry standard.

“[She’s] so explosive with her right arm using her core strength to throw that four-kilogram [ball],” CBC Sports analyst Michael Smith said during the qualification round. “She’s sending a message to [her] competitors.”

WATCH | Mitton clinches berth in women’s shot put final on 1st throw in Paris:

Mitton said walking into a fun stadium atmosphere and hearing karaoke before the start of the competition helped her relax.

“I try to treat it like any other meet. I know it’s the Olympics [but] I have the same intentions of going out there and winning a gold medal for Canada,” said the native of Brooklyn, N.S. “The way I’m going to do that is just being myself, being relaxed and taking it as it comes.”

Mitton, who is sharing a room in the athletes’ village with New Zealand shot putter Maddison-Lee Wesche, plans to spend “a lot” of time before the final watching Netflix, eating, keeping hydrated and sleeping in Friday.

“It was a bit of an early morning [Thursday] and a lot of work for 30 seconds of action. But it’s worth it and we’ll save [some energy] for the final.,” said Mitton, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion and 2023 Pan Am Games gold medallist.

Mitton, who lives and trains in Toronto, made her Olympic debut three years ago in Tokyo and believed she was prepared to compete in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. She didn’t advance to the final, throwing 16.62 in qualification and placing 28th overall.

“My first Olympic experience was nothing like I had ever imagined,” said Mitton, who has won four consecutive Canadian titles. “I’ve had to wait three years [and] it feels like an eternity.

“This is already redemption for me to be able to come out on my first throw with a 19.77. It’s like three metres further than I threw in Tokyo. I’m already satisfied. Whatever comes next is a bonus.”

On May 11, the 2023 world championship silver medallist raised her Canadian record to 20.68 on her first attempt at the Throws U 2024 Series meeting in Fleetwood, Pa. Her old mark was 20.33.

She also has a pair of victories on the Diamond League professional track and field circuit — in Suzhou, China (April 22) and Stockholm (June 2).