Canadian shot putter Sarah Mitton finished second at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on Friday, opening the competition with a 20.64-metre throw that stood as her best mark of the night, CBC Sports reported.
Mitton was beaten by American Chase Jackson, who won the women’s shot put at King Baudouin Stadium with a best throw of 21.14 metres, according to CBC Sports. The runner-up placing came in the meet that closes the Diamond League circuit each season and decides the year’s Diamond Trophy winners.
The final was contested over two days, Sept. 4 and 5, and drew four Canadians to the Belgian capital. In a preview of the meet, CBC Sports listed Mitton, 800-metre runner Marco Arop, sprinter Audrey Leduc and sprinter Andre De Grasse as the Canadian entries chasing Diamond League titles.
Arop, the Edmonton-raised middle-distance runner, placed fourth in the men’s 800 metres in one minute 43.50 seconds. Leduc, Canada’s record holder in the women’s 200 metres, ran a season-best 22.38 seconds in her event.
De Grasse did not compete. The sprinter had qualified for the men’s 200 metres but was scratched from the race on Thursday, and Athletics Canada said he had a personal commitment that weekend and was turning his attention to the Ultimate Championship, CBC Sports reported.
The Brussels final produced fast racing across both days. Canadian Running Magazine reported that multiple records fell on the opening day of competition, and World Athletics framed the two nights as the climax of the circuit, with places in the Ultimate Championship on the line.
For Mitton, the second-place finish caps a Diamond League season spent among the top throwers in the world, and leaves her within half a metre of the winning mark heading into the next block of the international calendar. Athletics Canada has not announced further competition plans for the group beyond the Ultimate Championship.
