Shot put became Brittany Crew's escape
'It definitely has helped me with some dark moments,' says Canadian record holder
Fresh off a historic sixth-place finish in the women's shot put competition at the IAAF world track and field championships, Brittany Crew says she was feeling a little jet lagged just a couple of days after arriving in Taipei City, Taiwan for the 2017 Summer Universiade.
With the end of her season in sight, it'd be hard to fault the 23-year-old for mailing it in or skipping the event completely, especially after her recent performance in London.
But while the world university games aren't on the same prestige level as the world championships and Olympics, Crew believes there are still plenty of reasons to compete.
"It's a competition that is around my age group. I'm expecting to come home with a medal. I got bronze last time and I'd like to improve upon that and I think I can come out on top of this year," Crew said.
"It's going to be a good battle. There's a few other girls — a handful of them that can really challenge me for this. So [I] definitely [want to] go out there, have fun, and finish on a high note since it's been a long season."
Early Sunday morning, Crew ended her season with a bang — topping a field that included multiple Olympians and world championship competitors with a throw of 18.34 metres, which was just below her Canadian record of 18.47.
The Mississauga, Ont., native called the gold medal her "biggest" on the world stage so far.
Long road travelled
It's been a long road for Crew to reach this point of her career.
The Canadian overcame bullying in school, depression and use to binge drink on weekends. Members of her family also suffered from drug addiction.
Shot put was her escape from those problems and Crew doesn't know what she would have done without it.
"It's something that you can turn to that's a positive, constructive way of coping with certain things that are going on in your life. It's a place where you can tune out the outside world, zone in and do your own thing," Crew said.
"It definitely has helped me with some dark moments and I'm so grateful to have sport in my life."
Crew hopes she can be an inspiration for others in similar situations.
Shot put turned her life around and gave her the opportunity to travel the world doing what she loves most.
"If you tell yourself you can do anything that you put your mind to, you can actually do it. I'm glad I could be a role model for the youth coming up in the sport and I hope I can continue to do so in the years to come," Crew said.
Beginnings in sport
Crew was initially a soccer player and had dreams of playing on the national squad.
She was introduced to shot put in elementary school but didn't seriously invest herself into it until high school, when the track and field coach took notice of her build and told her to try it.
Her coach happened to be Shane Risto, a former Paralympian, and he told Crew that she had what it took to be a great thrower.
Crew decided to give it a try and stuck with the sport as she worked through the growing pains.
Six months later, Crew qualified for the world youth championships.
"It was kind of a fluke — shot put found me," Crew said.
Quick ascent
Crew quickly progressed up the rankings, competing in various competitions throughout the world.
In 2014, she competed in her first U sports national championship with the York Lions, placing second despite having recently come off an injury.
The following year she took gold, and was later rewarded with a spot on Team Canada for the 2015 Universiade in Russia.
Crew continued her progression with a bronze medal in one of her first major international meets.
The Games gave Crew a feel of world level competition and she was reminded of how hard she needed to work to win a medal.
"Every experience, you get a little bit more confidence [and] learn how to compete better," Crew said.
Making history
Crew's first Olympic games didn't go according to plan as she failed to make it out of the qualification round.
"I didn't have [a] qualifying round in FISU two years ago. So having the qualifying rounds for the first time at a major championship was a little stressful and I didn't know what to expect," recalls Crew.
With Rio 2016 under her belt, Crew went into this year's world championships prepared and her eyes were set on Canadian history — a top-eight finish.
"Did I really think it was a realistic goal? I thought maybe it was a little bit of a stretch for me," Crew said.
"To make the final, that was a big relief off my shoulders and then to come out ranked sixth — I couldn't ask for a better performance from myself."