Sally Pearson, arguably one of the best sprint hurdlers of all time, has been forced to pull out of this year’s Olympic Games in Rio following a training injury to her hamstring.
The Australian superstar had been dealing with calf and achilles problems since coming back from the dislocated and broken wrist she suffered during the 2015 Rome Diamond League event.
Speaking to the Nine Network, the 29-year-old said “my body was starting to feel normal again…and unfortunately on monday my body just didn’t agree with me this time.
“It couldn’t push that extra little bit to the edge…and I tore my hamstring”.
Since her fall in the Golden Gala last season, Pearson has struggled to find the form she demonstrated since taking gold at the World championships in Daegu in 2011.
This season, Pearson has a best of 13.14 seconds that she ran in Oslo earlier this month. Currently ranked 101st globally and third in Australia, the 2008 Olympic silver medallist and 2012 gold medallist’s form did not suggest that she would have been able to put up a strong defence of her title with only seven weeks till the games.
“I could have gone to the Olympics and still competed, but competing and going out to the Olympics means different things to me,” she said.
“I go there for 100 per cent effort and I wouldn’t be able to give that effort that I would like to bring like I do to every competition.”
With the Commonwealth Games set to take place on the Gold Coast in 2018, Pearson will be looking to defend her title on home soil.
Pearson’s honours:
Olympic Games
2008 – Silver
2012 – Gold
World championships
2011 – Gold
2013 – Silver
World indoor championships
2012 – Gold
2014 – Silver
Commonwealth Games
2010 – Gold
2014 – Gold
Other
2011 – IAAF World Athlete of the Year
