Lancer alumnus Sarah Mitton captured Canada's first gold medal at the 2019 FISU World University Games in Napoli, Italy.

In an unexpected result, Mitton heaved 18.31 metres on her third attempt in the final, winning the competition by nearly 50 centimetres over her nearest competitor at San Paolo Stadium.

After qualifying fifth in the morning preliminaries with a top throw of 17.08, Mitton bettered that by 50 centimeters on her first attempt in the final, getting better with each attempt until her 18.31 measurement on the third. That set a standard none of the other competitors were able to match.

"It was overwhelming," Mitton said of her experience atop the podium, watching the Maple Leaf raised. "It's my first international medal, let alone to come out on top. It was a really proud moment – my coach and I have been working so hard, and it has been very up and down. It's nice to finally have that moment.

"I felt extremely prepared. It's a long day – my first throw I was very nervous, it's a big stadium and very overwhelming. After the prelims I went home, took a nap, and I felt a lot more ready to go tonight than I did this morning. I had more confidence, my warmup was good, and a lot of confidence heading into the final."

"She had a great day, throwing bombs out there on every throw," said Bob Westman, head coach of the Canadian track and field team in Naples. "She was ready, and she had an awesome night. We thought she was definitely a medal contender, and we couldn't be happier for her."

Courtesy of U SPORTS International Communications Team