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CBC
31-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Different puzzles, same goal: How do track & field athletes plan out a world championship season?
Social Sharing The best track and field athletes in Canada will be in Ottawa this weekend with the goal of earning their place at September's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. In theory, it all seems so simple for athletes: the nationals are in your competition calendar, so just make the travel arrangements, plan your training schedule, and show up in peak shape. But in practice, it's like spinning plates — Canadians have a multitude of events all over the globe and an incredible amount of logistics that accompany that schedule. Athletics Canada throws coach Richard Parkinson says balancing training and logistics is "like getting a 3,000-piece puzzle and not having all the pieces." One of the athletes Parkinson works with to piece that puzzle together is two-time world indoor champion, and four-time national champion in women's shot put, Sarah Mitton. "At the beginning of the year, we sit down and we start with the yearly training plan. Sarah and I work as a team. It's coach-led, athlete-focused, and in Sarah's case — because we've worked so closely together for eight years or nine years now —it's more of a collaboration, more of a team [effort]," Parkinson said. Parkinson and Mitton begin with the key, major competitions that they want her to have "peak performance or have performance-on-demand at." "This year, for instance, was the world indoor championships and outdoor world championships. Those are the two big key dates," Parkinson said. "Then we fill in the [next] priorities ...which for Sarah, would be the Diamond League meets." The planning process for a new season can begin as soon as final major meet from the following year finishes. For Parkinson, that means vacation time also includes a healthy amount of calendars and meet research. "Last September, I go to the lake and I'm on the dock with the computer and I'm writing the plan around hitting world championships [and] world indoor tour, because those are money [and] income meets for Sarah," he said. "Then we go to world outdoors, but then I've also got to plan the five Diamond League meets." Navigating a rookie season That's how a veteran approaches the season — a high world ranking helping lock down invitations to key meets, allowing early planning and knowing when they need to be at their competitive best. For rookies, there are no guaranteed spots in Diamond League start lists, and the process to map out a season of competition looks much different. Canadian sprinter Audrey Leduc signed with Adidas this year, so she's just starting her foray into scheduling a full season of pro meets. That means she's new to the scene and needs to be more flexible when it comes to invites. One of those invites came just days before she was to leave for her first European trip as a pro, and it was an offer she couldn't refuse. "[At the] last minute, the Diamond League said 'we have a spot,' maybe…like two days before I was leaving for Europe. They said 'we have a lane' so I was like, 'OK, I'm going to enter the Diamond League,'" she said. "You need to be adaptable, but you need to also consider that you have big meets coming up like nationals, like world championships … it's a long season so you need to think about which meets you want to do and don't overdo it." WATCH | Leduc helps Canada clinch women's 4x100m spot at world championships: Canadian women's 4x100m team clinches spot at world championships 3 months ago However, 26-year-old from Gatineau, Que., also needs to balance that willingness to race with only accepting meet invites when her body is ready to perform. Leduc said it's a "tricky" balance to strike – she wants to show that she's interested in taking invitations and competing, but can't risk accepting an invite when her body isn't ready to perform at a peak level. "If the Diamond League is calling, and you're like 'well, where is it, how fast can I get there, and how good am I going to be ready to run?'" Leduc said. "If you're in a block of training and you're in the middle of it, I don't think I will be able to say yes because I might be on load. "If you're on load and you're going to compete in a Diamond League, and you don't perform well, they might not invite you back." Canadians face tough travel schedule Travel time is also a major factor for Canadian athletes, as the bulk of the meets and prize money, are in Europe. When they're overseas, the full team that help athletes maintain their peak condition and recovery, like physiotherapists and massage therapists, stay behind. Leduc has improvised where she can, but it's another hurdle to clear when planning a competition schedule. "It's a bit difficult [when] you don't have your team ... because you're asking a lot of your body, but you don't have the same treatment that you have back home. But you're expected to perform on the track, so you need to find ways to make your body recover," Leduc said. "I have cups [for cupping therapy] and I have compression boots, I have a lot of stuff that can help me just recover on my own." Parkinson says some higher-level meets offer access to treatment professionals, but there is a level of unfamiliarity when doing body work on a pro athlete. "The Diamond League does provide some support staff for physio[therapy], but you don't know them until you get to use them. We're at that stage where we need to find something, because most of the massage and physio people like that do travel for meet to meet with a Diamond League," he said. "So we've got to get more familiar with some of those practitioners. You've had a bad massage, you've had a good massage, right? "You want to go to that person that you had a good massage with [because] we just don't want to risk having a bad one." Parkinson recalled that the shoe was on the other foot for some women's shot putters at the Prefontaine Classic this past June. "The women from Europe come to Oregon — which is even a little bit of an extra step for them because it's not on the East Coast — and they were like, 'oh, boy, the travel is exhausting.' We said, 'yeah, try doing it eight times a year.' "We kind of chuckled, and they got a sense of what Sarah goes through or any of the other Canadian athletes that go back and forth so many times for these meets," Parkinson said. "That's why we try to connect the meets so that when we go over[seas], you aren't just doing one-offs and coming back, that you go over [and] you've got a few in a row." Plans not set in stone Parkinson and Mitton recently had a wrinkle added to a planed grouping of overseas meets near world championship time. A meet in Beijing offering dual benefits of high-level competition and good prize money is now up in the air. "Now I'm finding out just yesterday that they have suspended invitations to all athletes and the meet might be cancelled," Parkinson said. "So what do we do to fill that gap between Zurich and going to Tokyo? That's a big I talked to Sarah's agent, and I'm World Athletics website for sanctioned competitions. "I'm having to be flexible, and then also the athlete, she has to learn to be flexible [about] where they have to be." It seems that the only consistent plan for any track and field athlete is planning to be flexible.
Vancouver Sun
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Canadian shot putter Sarah Mitton brings her new technique to Harry Jerome Track Classic
With her flowing red hair and bright smile, her patriotic commitment to supporting Canadian athletics and an ability to bravely face adversity, shot putter Sarah Mitton easily connects with track and field fans. The native of tiny Brooklyn, N.S., is the Canadian record holder, two-time world indoor champion, world outdoor silver medallist and reigning Diamond League champion. On July 15, she'll make her third consecutive appearance at the Harry Jerome Track Classic at Swangard Stadium, looking to continue her bounce back from the sting of failing to medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics when she finished 12th. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Ranked No. 3 in the world, the 29-year-old feels like she's just reaching her prime. A subtle technique change helped her throw a personal best 20.68 metres indoors in February and 20.48 to win the world indoor championship in Nanjing, China, on March 21. And she feels there is more to come. 'I'm getting to a point where everything is so consistent,' she said in an interview this week. 'My competition experience is quite high, my mental experience is quite high. As long as I can keep my body healthy, I feel like I've got a few more good years in me.' Those years will continue with Diamond League events across Europe and Asia, the 2028 Olympics, world championships and a selection of meets on the Athletics Canada National Track and Field Tour. Mitton won the Royal City Inferno in Guelph, Ont., (20.35 metres on June 18) and finished second (20.39) at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., on July 5. She'll compete at a Diamond League meet in Monaco on July 11, the Edmonton Athletics Invitational on July 13 and then the Jerome two days later. 'Yeah, the next week and a half is a bit crazy and there's a good chance I'll be running on fumes again, but I think it's important to show up for meets in Canada. Even though I'm at a point where I've got standard (for world championships in Tokyo on Sept. 20), I appreciate everything Athletics Canada does and I want to support their meets so they can continue to grow and my presence can help training partners and friends who need points.' Her technique change in January was very subtle as she moved her right foot about 40 degrees at the start of her rotation. The idea is to create a longer pathway for the shot, giving her a bit longer to apply force on the ball. She's throwing consistently in the mid 20-metre range with a goal to surpass the 21-metre mark, something that hasn't been accomplished by a female shot putter since 2011. Mitton was nearly beaten to that mark by American rival Chase Jackson last Saturday when the tattooed, two-time world outdoors champion uncorked a stunning effort of 20.95 in Rathdrum, Idaho. 'I was quite happy for her, we're good mates,' said Mitton. 'Obviously, competitive wise, I'm grateful for those five centimetres (short of 21). I still have an opportunity to get her and be the first to 21.' The world record, the third-longest standing one in track and field, is 22.63 metres, set by Russian Natalya Lisovskaya in June, 1987. That was back when Eastern European women were routinely going over 22 metres while being dogged by allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs. Now, along with Mitton, the top-10 world rankings include three Americans, a New Zealander, a Swede, two Chinese women and throwers from the Netherlands and Germany. Mitton won't rule out a clean thrower busting past 22 metres at some point in the future. 'The group of women where we are right now, I don't see throws of 22 metres. It's going to take a special talent, but with all the resources available right now, all the info from us 'old dogs,' changes in technique . . . I can see 22 metres in the future.' Mitton will be challenged at the Jerome by American Jessica Ramsey (20.12 personal best) and Jamaican Danniel Thomas-Dodd, who won last year's meet with a throw of 19.32 metres. Mitton, still reeling from the death of her father and worn down by a busy schedule, could manage just 18.82. Then at the Paris Olympics in August, after throwing half a metre further than the field in qualifying, early rain and a slick throwing circle on the final day caused Mitton to come unravelled. She got in only three attempts with a best of just 17.48 metres. 'In hindsight, I think it's easy to see that, emotionally, I wasn't able to handle a situation that I feel like I should have been able to handle, given the calibre of athlete that I think I am. I just kind of crumbled a little bit.' But she did exit interviews, then returned to the throwers area to watch the remaining competition, even hugging and smiling with the medallists. She says now that as she looks ahead to more world championships and the 2028 Olympics, she is in a 'really great place. I'm getting in a good groove and figuring out how to throw farther. 'I want to separate myself as a gold medal winner consistently . . . and outdoor gold in Tokyo would be really exciting.'
CTV News
28-06-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
‘The biggest events that Athletics Canada has': Officials detail work that went into landing two major track and field events
Tourism London officials say years of work went into their bid for a pair of major Canadian athletic events. CTV's Gerry Dewan reports. It's the culmination of years of work resulting in London being awarded two major track and field events, both Olympic qualifiers. London will host the 2027 Canadian Track and Field Championships and the 2028 Bell Track and Field Trials. Chloe Knox competes in long jump and triple jump and was getting some work at Western Alumni Stadium Friday morning, 'I've trained here since I was like seven years old. So, it's like, ideal for me.' Last year, Knox won gold in the U-Sports Track and Field competition and bronze in the Canadian Track and Field Championships. She's recovering from injury this year, but wants the chance to compete in her hometown, 'I'm not sure that I'll compete this outdoor season. But my goal moving forward would be to finish on the podium for the next couple of Canadian Championships.' 'The biggest events that Athletics Canada has,' emphasized Zanth Jarvis. Jarvis is director of Sport Tourism for Tourism London. 'We're so fortunate to work with them and all of our partners around the city to really showcase our community and the talent and the support we have for the sport of track and field here.' Western Alumni Stadium Thomas Helland and Morgan Reevie train at Western Alumni Stadium on June 27, 2025. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London) Like a track athlete getting in shape for a major competition, Western University has spent years getting Western Alumni Stadium in shape for the upcoming events. 'It makes it a fantastic facility,' said Christine Stapleton. She is Western's Director of Sports Recreation. 'Great for the smallest track and field incoming athlete in the clubs here, to an Olympian like Alysha Newman and Damian Warner.' The track, infield, grandstands, stadium lighting, scoreboard and sound systems have been, or will be, upgraded. Stapleton says they all contribute to being able to achieve and retain certification from track and field's governing bodies, 'In order to maintain that certification, we have to adhere to the standards. So, the lines were painted by an I.A.A.F. (International Association of Athletics Federations) certified line painter, brought in from Europe to paint the lines for us.' That effort is giving local athletes a special opportunity. Thomas Helland specializes in running the 400m race, 'I've grown up in London, we always had to travel to meets like this. It's nice to have these big events here for us to just kind of showcase without having to go far. It makes use of a nice facility like you see here, and it highlights like local talent.' Morgan Reevie is a sprinter. She told CTV News the announcement had an immediate impact, 'It kind of lit a fire under everyone's butt to just really keep everything in gear, and to just get there, be healthy and be ready to go.' Jarvis says the event is another opportunity to showcase London to athletes, their families, and friends from across Canada. But Jarvis said organizers also want to inspire the next generation of young competitors, 'We're hoping that an event like this can create that legacy for the next generation. To see these athletes firsthand grow our community sport groups grow the sports.'
CTV News
26-06-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
London to host 2027 & 2028 Olympic/World trials
Damian Warner, of Canada, celebrates after winning the Men's heptathlon at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, March 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) The road to Beijing and Los Angeles will run through London. Athletics Canada has announced that the Forest City will host the 2027 Canadian Track & Field Trials and the 2028 Bell Track & Field Trials. 'Anytime you can bring the best athletes in the country to your backyard, it's exciting, and the Olympic Trials always offers that little extra something because athletes' dreams are on the line,' said London Western TFC Club Manager Scott MacDonald. The event will run Aug. 9-15 and will serve as the Canadian team selection trials for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing that September. In 2028, the Bell Track & Field Trials will run from June 14 to 18 and will help determine the athletes competing for Canada in Track & Field at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 'It's an incredible honour,' said Western University Sports & Recreation Director Christine Stapleton." From Olympic champion Damian Warner's training grounds to our U SPORTS national title-winning teams, our legacy in athletics runs deep, and we're proud to host Canada's finest as they chase Olympic and Paralympic dreams.' Among the long list of elite athletes from London who have represented Canada on the world stage are Olympic champion Damian Warner, Olympic bronze medallist Alysha Newman, Pan American Games champion Jessica Zelinka, and Parapan American Games champion Kevin Strybosch.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Dinner, porn, and betrayal: The staggering case of Coach Ken Porter and the hidden abuse that haunted athletes for decades
In a decision that brings a painful saga spanning nearly five decades to a legal conclusion, 76-year-old Thomas Kenneth Porter, a former Edmonton track coach, has been found guilty of historical sexual offenses against three teenage boys he coached in the 1970s. The ruling, delivered by Court of King's Bench Justice Nicholas Devlin on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, marks a significant moment for the victims, some of whom have waited years for justice. In this case, the incidents date back to 1976-1980, when the victims were between 15 and 17 years old. The charges brought against Porter were " indecent assault " and " gross indecency ," which were the relevant Criminal Code offenses at that time. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 손끝에서 빛나는 반지 [지금 확인] 월드비전 더 알아보기 Undo Justice Devlin concluded that Porter, under the guise of athletic massages, sexually touched the teens for his gratification. Disturbingly, one incident involved Porter inviting boys to his apartment for dinner, showing them pornography, and then offering "rubdowns", his term for the massages he gave young athletes. This predatory behavior was deemed an "exploitation or perversion of contact by a trusted adult," causing "discomfort, confusion, and even revulsion among the victims." Live Events The story is brought vividly to life through the testimony of Chris Dallin, who, at 14, began training with Porter. He was the first to report his experiences to the police in 2007, nearly 30 years after the abuse. Almost 20 years later, and close to 50 years after the initial trauma, Dallin bravely asked the court to lift the publication ban on his name. "I no longer have any shame about this," he stated, emphasizing the importance of sharing his story and helping others understand that "it's OK to kind of go through this." This criminal case emerged after a 2019 independent investigation commissioned by Athletics Canada , led by former Ontario ombudsman André Marin, into widespread sexual misconduct allegations. Marin's report ultimately led to Porter's firing as chair of the Ottawa Lions track and field club and a lifetime ban from Athletics Canada. Notably, Marin "astonishingly" encouraged complainants to reach out to each other, a factor that later led to questions about potential influence on memories during the trial. While Porter was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault and three counts of gross indecency, he was acquitted on five other charges, including those related to an alleged sexual assault in a Saskatoon hotel room involving Dallin. Despite the acquittal on the hotel incident, Justice Devlin explicitly stated he was "sure Mr. Porter sexually touched [Dallin] for his gratification," finding the coach was "infatuated" with the teenage Dallin. Porter's own "shifting, self-serving, almost desperate evidence" left him "bereft of credibility" in the judge's eyes, who further stated that Porter "was not concerned at all with sexually arousing the teenage boys he was laying hands on." Dallin, who endured years of struggle with drug and alcohol dependency after the trauma, expressed disappointment over the acquittal on the hotel incident but was grateful for how seriously the case was handled. "Kids, young people, need a few people out there who show the way," Dallin said, hoping his story encourages others to break their silence. Porter remains on bail, awaiting his sentence, which will be determined at a later date.
