CASTERTON-raised Kathryn Mitchell enters the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as a leading contender in the women’s javelin.
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The 32-year-old is ranked number three for the event, which is held next Thursday, Australian time.
Mitchell, who was born in Hamilton and grew up in Casterton before moving to Ballarat to finish her secondary schooling, is the world number eight.
She is one spot behind South African Sunette Viljoen, who is the number two ranked thrower competing at Glasgow.
On her website, Mitchell said she would never have been able to pursue international glory without backing from her home town.
“During my time as an athlete this great little community has supported me to reach my dreams,” she said. “Thank you Casterton.”
It is Mitchell’s third Common-wealth Games but countrywoman Kimberley Mickle, the world number two, is the hot favourite to take gold.
Mitchell enters Glasgow in good form, having finished second in a grand prix event in New York mid- last month, throwing 66.08 metres, narrowly outside her personal best.
She finished eighth with a best throw of 58.23m in a Diamond League event in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 3.
Mitchell, who has a career-best throw of 66.10m set in Adelaide in February this year, represented Australia at the London Olympics in 2012, finishing ninth with a throw of 59.46m. A year after the Olympics, she was fifth at the IAAF world championships in Russia with a throw of 63.77m.