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Brittany Crew breaks Canadian shot put record, meets 2020 Olympic standard

Brittany Crew improved upon her Canadian record in shot put with a third-place finish at the Hallesche Werfertage international track and field meet in Germany on Saturday. Her throw of 18.69 metres also qualified the 25-year-old for next summer's Olympics in Tokyo.

Throws 18.69 metres for bronze medal at German outdoor meet

The Canadian Press ·
Brittany Crew set a new Canadian shot put record on Saturday, throwing 18.69 metres for a bronze medal at a meet in Germany. The 25-year-old Toronto resident also reached the 2020 Olympic qualifying standard of 18.50. (Matthias Schrader/Associated Press/File)

Brittany Crew set a Canadian record in shot put on Saturday en route to a third-place finish at the Hallesche Werfertage international outdoor track and field meet in Germany.

The 25-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., threw 18.69 metres to better the Canadian record she set in April and surpass the 2020 Olympic qualifying standard of 18.50.

Crew, who placed 18th overall at her Olympic debut in Rio three years ago, held the previous national record at 18.61, set on April 26 at the Virginia Grand Prix. While that mark also met the Olympic standard, it was achieved five days before the start of the qualifying period on May 1.

Crew is coming off a "rough" indoor season — she was rusty in the technical part of her throw and maxed out at 17.77 — following a 2018 campaign cut short by injury. Last August, Crew sprained her right ankle and suffered a spiral fracture to the fifth metatarsal in her right foot while training in Belgium a week before the NACAC championships in Toronto.

"I was in a boot for about two months. The strength came back fast but we're still working on the stability of the ankle," Crew, who plans to wear an ankle brace through this season, told CBC Sports.

Two days before the competition in Germany, she placed third in a field of six at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm, where she turned in a best throw of 18.28 in wet and cool conditions.

'My ultimate goal this year is to throw 19.00'

In recent weeks, Crew has been working on the mental aspect of sport.

"I've tried meditation and visualization before bed and I'm reading Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence," she said. "I'm studying and have started a training journal, trying to understand that every practice doesn't have to be amazing for me to throw far."

The Toronto resident will spend the next month at home before competing at the International University Sports Federation (FISU) Summer Games, set for July 3-14 in Naples, Italy. Two years ago, she won gold at FISU with a best throw of 18.34 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Crew is also hoping to return to Diamond League action July 5 in Lausanne, Switzerland, ahead of the Canadian track and field championships (Montreal, July 25-30) and Pan Am Games (Lima, Peru, July 26-Aug. 11).

"My ultimate goal this year is to throw 19.00," she said. "I finally believe if I go to world championships [in late September] and have a good PB, feed off the energy [of the crowd], do everything I need to do and stay healthy I could potentially find myself on the podium. I've gotta shoot for that."

With files from CBC Sports

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