It was a lengthy season for Sarah Mitton, but one that she considers both a success and a learning experience.
The 28-year-old shot putter checked some boxes with a list that includes her first world indoor title, a new personal best throw and first Diamond League title this past weekend. And while the Paris Olympics didn't go as planned, she picked up some lessons along the way.
"I started my season in November this year competing at Pan Am. And so competing at Pan Am Games in November and finishing at the Diamond League in September, it was just a long, long season," said the 28-year-old from Brooklyn, N.S. "When you do stuff like that, you're going to have ups and downs.
"The season as a whole, ... I consider it a success. Every year when we do our reflections, there's always something new for me to add to the list of (things) I've never done and you know throwing further and further.
"So at the end of the day, despite my results in Paris, I think there's a lot of learning and a lot of other things that you can still count the season as inherently positive."
In what had been a shortened Olympic quadrennial, Mitton had developed into one of the world's best shot putters.
She won silver at the 2023 worlds after missing the podium on a tiebreak in 2022. Mitton then went on to win Pan Am gold last November before winning the world indoor title in March. Her personal best of 20.68 metres on May 11 crushed her previous best of 20.33 from 2022.
At the Paris Games, she made her first Olympic final on her first qualifying throw. The following night came with some rain and Mitton went from gold-medal favourite — after back-to-back world champion Chase Jackson of the United States missed the final — to finishing 12th. She was eliminated when she failed to crack the top eight over her first three attempts with a top throw of just 17.48 metres.
Mitton was adamant about not shutting down her season after the "disappointing" showing in Paris, however. She competed in three meets between Aug. 16 to Aug. 22 before throwing 20.25 metres to defeat Jackson for the Diamond League title last Friday.
"The learning, it just happened so quickly," Mitton said. "And I think after (the) Tokyo (Olympics), I kind of just let myself dwell in the stink a little too long and it affected my performances afterwards.
"The season I had after Tokyo was the best one of my life and if I let Paris hold me back then I'm just going to miss, all the opportunities, they're still ahead. So I just kind of have to be, ... have you watched Ted Lasso? The goldfish quote where it's like, 'You just have to be a goldfish,' and kind of forget about it and move forward."
While Mitton feels she does a good job of shaking off whatever happens and moving on, the passing of her father in May made that all the more difficult.
Although shot put served as an aid to her mental health, Mitton is currently enjoying time off back at home and getting herself together mentally.
"I remember after the Olympics just feeling this big relief," she said. "And I thought the relief was going to be winning the Olympics and being an Olympic gold medallist and feeling like it all kind of worked out.
"Even when it didn't pan out that way, I was like despite it all, at least now I have some time to get my mental health back together, see some family, you know, take a break. ... So mentally, I think I'm doing a lot better that now that the Games are over. ... I feel a lot more relaxed."
With world championship and Olympic gold still on her list of aspirations, Mitton is excited to get back to work after her break. She spoke of a foul last Friday that she says was "upwards in the range of like 20.80 to 21 metres, something that I've never seen in my life before."
"I think how awesome it is to leave the season and be in a spot mentally, you know, despite Paris, where I'm excited already to get back to training," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press