Beijing, China – Canadian shot putter Sarah Mitton secured a victory at the continental Tour meet in Beijing on Sunday, topping the field despite recent controversy surrounding her disqualification from the Diamond League Final.
Mitton, who was stripped of her Diamond League Final win in Eugene, Oregon, earlier this month after a procedural violation, delivered a throw of 19.25 metres to claim first place in Beijing. The disqualification stemmed from exceeding the allotted time between attempts, a rule infraction that overshadowed her initial winning throw of 20.08 metres at the Diamond League Final.The 27-year-old Mitton will now focus on preparing for the World Athletics Championships, scheduled to run from September 13-21. She joins a strong canadian team heading to the championships, which includes defending champions Ethan Katzberg (hammer throw), Camryn Rogers (hammer throw), Marco arop (800-meter), and Pierce LePage (decathlon). Canada will send a 59-athlete contingent to the event, also featuring Olympic champion 4×100 sprint relay team members Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney, Jerome Blake, and Andre De Grasse. Other notable Canadians competing include Damian Warner (decathlon) and Moh Ahmed (5,000-metre).
At the Beijing meet, Omani Ali Al Balushi posted a personal best of 10.09 seconds to win the men’s 100m, finishing just ahead of Brandon Hicklin (10.12) of the United States.Andre De Grasse competed in the 100m, earning a bronze medal in 9.92. Justin Gatlin’s meet record of 9.87, set on May 21, 2014, remains unbroken. De Grasse is currently ranked 52nd in the world in the 100m and 22nd in the 200m and opted to rest a hamstring injury rather than defend his Canadian title on August 1 in Ottawa.