By Joel van der Veen

HANLEY — They huddled together, watching on smartphones, on tablets and computers, as a small-town girl made her mark at the Olympics.

Close to 30 family and friends gathered at Don and Deb Suttie’s home northeast of Hanley to watch their daughter Taryn compete in the women’s shot put event on Aug. 12.

Breakfast and coffee were on the table and lots of snacks were provided, including a fruit platter with berries, pineapple and melon arranged in the shape of the Olympic rings.

While the qualifying round wasn’t aired live on TV, it was available online as a streaming video via CBC.

All eyes were glued to screens of various sizes on Friday morning as 25-year-old Taryn made her throws.

“It’s amazing, it’s awesome,” said her sister Kelsey. “That’s been her goal for so long.”

Taryn completed all three throws in the qualifying round, with a top distance of 16.74 metres. She finished in 28th place out of 36 competitors and did not reach the finals.

She stayed in Rio for the rest of the Games and took part in the closing ceremonies with the other Team Canada athletes on Aug. 21.

Taryn was expected to arrive back in Cleveland, Ohio, her training base, on Wednesday.

Her mother Deb said they had exchanged a few short messages with her during her time in Rio.

“I think she’s feeling pretty good,” said Deb. “It’s been a long haul . . . She said it was quite an amazing experience.”

For the full story, please see the Aug. 29 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.