A Tillsonburg athlete is anticipating a slower pace coming off of a successful year that culminated in her second Paralympic Games.
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Charlotte Bolton returned from the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris earlier this month where she placed 10th in the women’s F41 (short stature) shot put and sixth in the women’s F41 discus competitions.
“I was feeling pretty prepared, going in at my best,” said Bolton, who said she battled rain and nerves in her first event.
The 21-year-old said she was happy with her discus performance, with one of the throws marking her fourth furthest distance in competition.
“You always wish to rank higher but the whole field improved a lot. It was pretty tight competition. I was pleased with my finish.”
It has been a busy couple of years for Bolton who has competed and trained in Chile, Spain, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and the United States. She trains full time with other Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls at the Athletics Canada East Hub in Toronto.
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Bolton holds three F41 national records. In June 2021, she set the Canadian F41 discus record at the Royal City Inferno Track and Field Festival in Guelph, tossing 29.65 meters. She made her Paralympic debut at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. At 18 years old, she was the youngest member of Canada’s para-athletics team. Bolton placed sixth in both the women’s F41 shot put and discus throw. And she won bronze in women’s discus at the 2023 Parapan American Games.
“It’s a bit of a down year,” Bolton said of the time leading up to the Worlds in November 2025. “I’ll be evaluating last year, making some new plans and rebuilding what the next four years is going to look like. ”
Her sights are set on 2028 Summer Paralympics in Los Angeles.
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Bolton’s Paris Paralympics began at a holding camp in Barcelona in August, followed by 11 days in the Paralympic village.
“It was great and chaotic with all the different personalities,” she said of fellow athletes. “It was nice to interact with other teams and countries. The Tokyo Games were during Covid, so it was pretty isolated.”
Bolton was cheered on by her parents, Scot Bolton and Bridget Fearon, and a large contingent of family members and friends who traveled to Paris and watched her compete.
The athlete kept up the tradition of dying her hair different colors when she leaves the country for competition. Naturally, it was red in honor of Team Canada.
Bolton had a little time for sightseeing, spending a day wandering through the French art at Musee d’Orsay.
The young athlete said she really started to focus on her shot put and discus throwing in 2019 after joining the Woodstock Legion Athletic Club.
“I always say whichever one is going well is the one I like best. They are pretty similar in terms of technique. I really like the technical side of it, the footwork. Small changes can make a big difference.
“I work really hard on perfecting the mechanics. I like there to be some brain work.”
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