Sarah Mitton Canadian advances to Olympic shot put final

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

At 1:37 p.m. ET on Friday, she will 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 19.15 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."

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."

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

Mitton plans to spend "a lot" of time before the final watching Netflix, eating, keeping hydrated and sleeping in Friday.

This is already redemption for me. ... I'm already satisfied. Whatever comes next is a bonus.— Canadian record holder Sarah Mitton

"It was a bit of an early morning 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."

Top-ranked Jackson fails to qualify for final

The path to a potential gold medal for Mitton is a little clearer, given world No. 1 Chase Jackson of the United States is out of the competition, but the Canadian still expects a tightly contested final.

"I do not really know [what happened] I guess the pressure got to me," Jackson, who has a 20.10 best this season, said after Thursday's competition. "I do not really have a lot to say about it. I just want to get to my family."

The other surprising non-qualifier was Jamaica's Danniel Thomas-Dodd, ranked ninth in the world. She threw 18.12 and boasts a 19.32 season best.

Mitton believes it will take a throw of 20 metres to earn a medal Friday.

"I don't know how much over 20 … but I know that I'm confident and can do that. There's also quite a few other girls out there who can do the same, so it's going to be fun. It's going to be a dog fight."

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.

Hurdler Harrison savours Olympic experience

In other action, Saskatoon hurdler Michelle Harrison was seventh in her repechage heat for a second chance at qualifying for the women's 100 semifinal on Friday at 6:05 a.m. ET.

Only the top two from each heat advanced.

Harrison's time of 13.30 seconds was well shy of her 12.83 best this season. She arrived in Paris looking to lower her 12.74 personal best.

Liberia's Ebony Morrison beat the 31-year-old Canadian in 12.82, followed by Ecuador's Maribel Caicedo (12.83) who held off Finland's Reetta Hurske in a photo finish.

Harrison, a three-time Canadian champion, was unsure she would compete in Paris after being slowed by a stomach bug last weekend.

"A few days ago I could barely make it out of bed to go for a walk," she told Heroux. "Even though I didn't run like I wanted, I'm glad to be here and enjoy the experience."

She clocked 13.40 in Wednesday's opening round of her Olympic debut.

Seven years ago, Harrison nearly quit hurdling and started from scratch.

"Just to be here is pretty incredible," Harrison told Heroux. "It's something I'll be happy and content with moving forward."

She raced in the semifinals at the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships.