Women’s Shot Put Stars Shine at World Indoor Championships
Women’s Shot Put Preview: 20-Metre Club Gathers at World Indoor Championships
As the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow approach, the women’s shot put event is set to feature a star-studded lineup, with three athletes who have exceeded 20 metres this season.
Headlining the Field
Headlining the field are two-time world champion Chase Jackson (née Ealey) of the USA, Commonwealth champion and world silver medallist Sarah Mitton of Canada, and European champion Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands. Schilder recently set a world-leading mark of 20.31m, the best indoor performance of her career.
As the reigning double world champion, Jackson will enter the competition as a slight favourite. The American is known for delivering her best throws on the biggest stages, having surpassed 20 metres at her last three global championships. Her personal best of 20.76m, set at the Wanda Diamond League Final, is the highest mark among the entrants.
Schilder, meanwhile, now holds the best indoor personal best in the field, thanks to her recent world-leading performance. The Dutch star made a major breakthrough in 2022, earning world bronze medals indoors and outdoors, as well as the European title. While she missed out on a podium finish at last year’s World Championships, she has clearly started 2024 with renewed drive and ambition.
Mitton, too, has been in impressive form, winning all five of her competitions this year and throwing beyond 19.50m in all but one. In her final outing before Glasgow, she set a Canadian indoor record of 20.08m, the same distance that earned her world silver in Budapest last year. Another 20-metre throw could secure a spot on the podium for the Canadian.
Other Contenders
However, the medal contenders do not end there. Germany’s Yemise Ogunleye has continued her steady progress, setting a personal best of 19.57m in her first competition of 2024. USA’s Maggie Ewen, a four-time global finalist, is another athlete with the potential to break through and earn a maiden major medal.
Jamaican record-holder Danniel Thomas-Dodd, a two-time world silver medallist, is also among the big names to watch, having produced the three best marks of her career in 2023. New Zealand’s Maddison-Lee Wesche, the 2018 world U20 champion, will make her indoor debut but has shown the ability to perform on the world stage.
With a wealth of talent and impressive form this season, the women’s shot put promises to be a thrilling event at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
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