MONTREAL — Brittany Crew was standing in line at the airport for a flight to Italy to compete when she got the call: Don't check your bags. You're going to Lausanne.
The 25-year-old thrower made the most of her last-minute Diamond League entry in Switzerland earlier this month, winning the silver medal in the shot put — a performance that earned her an invitation to the Diamond League Final.
Crew will become the first Canadian female thrower to compete in the prestigious Final — the latest in a list of firsts for the Mississauga, Ont., native.
"She's inspiring," said her coach Richard Parkinson. "And inspiring to her two training partners."
Canadian women's throwing is beginning to see growth from the trail Crew has blazed. For the first time ever, Crew has some world-class company.
Crew won her fourth national women's shot put title at the Canadian track and field championships Friday night. Her throw of 18.65 metres was four centimetres shy of her Canadian record she set in May.
It was a bit of payback perhaps for losing to close friend and training partner Sarah Mitton at the Summer Universiade two weeks ago in Italy. Mitton won gold there. She took silver behind Crew on Friday night at Claude Robillard Stadium.
"I don't like people calling it a rivalry. It's a great 1-2 punch that we have, a great training group," Parkinson said. "Sarah has come a long way because Britt has been a good mentor for her, inspiring her. And as Sarah has gotten better, she's made Britt better."
Crew is the finest female thrower Canada has ever produced, finishing sixth at the 2017 world championships. Bouncing back from a broken foot that prematurely ended her season last summer, she's continued her onslaught of the Canadian record, bettering it twice already this season.
With Friday's results, both Crew and Mitton secured their tickets to the world championships in Doha, Qatar in October. They'll also both throw next weekend at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. The goal is a double podium performance for the two who don't just train together at York University but live together and are close friends.
While Mitton's emergence this season is great for the event, Crew admits it's been an adjustment.
"It's a little difficult sometimes because you get coached by the same person, and if one of us has a great day (Parkinson) has to be happy for that person . . . he's playing two sides in a way. We haven't seemed to do well together at the same meet," she said.
"It's interesting in training, because we subconsciously compete with each other. It's a little bit of an adjustment because we live with each other, we train with each other and we're friends, and we compete against each other. It's kind of hard to separate sometimes the competitor and friend."
Parkinson conducts a couple of individual sessions with each one each week for some one-on-one time.
Crew can be credited for a good chunk of Mitton's success. And Mitton, from Brooklyn, N.S., can now do some pushing back.
"I think they make each other better, pushing each other to new heights. Britt's always wanted a training partner, be careful what you ask for," Parkinson said.
The shot put duo is becoming a world-class trio. Trinity Tutti, a 19-year-old from Toronto, shattered her own Canadian junior discus record on Friday night with a throw of 56.95 metres. Tutti won gold in shot put and silver in discus at the Pan American Junior championships that wrapped up last weekend.
"Trinity is killing it too," Crew said. "She's going to be great."
Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press
