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It's Mitton Season: Sarah Mitton on Breaking the Mold of a Shot Putter
Picture a shot putter. Whatever image just came to mind, Sarah Mitton has spent her career quietly rewriting it. Born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, and raised in nearby Brooklyn, she turned a small-town start into a run of titles: gold at the 2019 Summer Universiade, a spot on Team Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. On Episode 169 with David Stark, the conversation opens right where her story does, with breaking the mold of what a shot putter is supposed to look like.
Breaking the mold
The first seven minutes of the episode are about expectations: the assumptions people bring to throwers, and how Mitton has gone about proving them wrong. As the show notes put it, she is "proving to everyone that she is capable of breaking barriers." If you're a young athlete who has ever been told you don't fit the picture of your sport, start here.
It's Mitton Season, built on more than one sport
From about the seven-minute mark, Mitton talks about the phrase that has followed her, "It's Mitton Season," and about her background as a multi-sport athlete before shot put became her focus. It's a theme that keeps showing up on this show, from water polo players turned hammer throwers to soccer players turned Olympic sprinters: the throws and sprints reward athletes who learned to move in lots of ways first.
Accepting the losses before the wins
Around 12:30, the conversation turns to setbacks. Mitton talks about accepting the losses that come before the wins, and about how coaches are rewarded for their athletes' results. It's a short section, but it's the honest middle of the episode: titles don't arrive in a straight line.
The Olympics and World Championships
From 15:15 she describes what it's like to compete at the Olympic Games and the World Championships, the biggest stages in her sport.
Training, nutrition and recovery
The longest stretch of the episode, from 22:00 to 32:00, is practical: how a world-class shot putter trains, eats and recovers. If you coach throwers or are one, this is the section to save.
What's next, and advice for the next generation
The episode closes with what was next for Mitton at the time of recording and her advice for young athletes coming up behind her.
Key takeaways
Don't let a stereotype define your event. Mitton's story is about proving what a shot putter can be.
Multi-sport roots matter. She came to shot put with a multi-sport background.
Losses come first. Accepting setbacks is part of the path to titles.
The unglamorous work wins. Training, nutrition and recovery take up the biggest part of the conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Sarah Mitton?
Sarah Mitton is a Canadian shot putter. She won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2019 Summer Universiade, and represented Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Where is Sarah Mitton from?
She was born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, and raised in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia.
What does Sarah Mitton talk about on The Athletes Podcast?
Breaking the mold of a shot putter, "It's Mitton Season", her multi-sport background, accepting losses before wins, competing at the Olympics and World Championships, and how she trains, eats and recovers.
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