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Pearson ready to rule the world
Olympic silver medallist and the fastest 100m hurdler in the world this year, Sally Pearson, says she is happy to be favourite heading into the
world championships.
Pearson has gone undefeated for 2011, a run which includes four consecutive victories in the Samsung Diamond League. Those wins have all come at the expense of American rivalsDanielle Carruthers and Kellie Wells, who are both in Daegu.
With such an impressive run of form, and a new Australian record of 12.48 (+0.7), which Pearson set in Birmingham, the Australian has consequently been labeled favourite to take gold in Daegu, which would add to the same colour medal she took at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last year.
She said: “My whole plan after Commonwealth Games was to get solid training and not miss a session, look after my body when it’s needed and really listen to my body and what I need as an athlete.
“So far everything is going really well, touchwood, all my training sessions have been amazing. As you have seen the results have been really good and consistent. Coming into the world championships as a favourite has been quite exciting and I’m up to the challenge, and let’s see what happens.
“I’m happy to be the favourite, I guess these girls haven’t been able to beat me yet so more pressure’s on them to get things right on the day and try and beat me. I’m one step ahead of them I think going into the championships.
“Every year the winner [of the world championships] has never run a personal best. I think when it comes to the championships it’s just a matter of who’s the best on the day. The times, if you look over the years, haven’t been amazingly fast times to win the race so I think it’s just whoever’s the strongest physically and mentally on the day to win it.”
Pearson’s rise to the top of the hurdles rankings has been a steady one and one reflected by her ever-expanding trophy cabinet. In 2008 she stormed to silver at the Beijing Olympics, but in 2009 injury hampered her performance in Berlin, where she finished fifth.
Jamaica’s Brigitte Ann Foster-Hylton took the world title then, with Americans Virginia Crawford and Dawn Harper finishing below Pearson. However, while Foster-Hylton will again line up at these world championships, Pearson’s main threat comes in the form of American pair Wells and Carruthers.
“I can’t really say what they’re thinking but it’s nice to think you have something over them, whether it’s physically or mentally it’s nice to know coming into these championships they haven’t beaten me and will probably be more scary for them than it is for me.
“I went to the Olympics in 2008 and I was nowhere near favourite to get a medal but I came out and got silver so you always have to watch out for those people who are just a little bit below you, they can always come out and run an amazing race, the race of their life and come over the top of you.
“So I guess in the hurdles anyone can win but at this stage the immediate threat is from the Americans. They’ve had a long season with their American trials and then still continued on with the European season so hopefully I’m a little bit fresher than them.”
For more information on the 2011 IAAF world championships including Australian Flame team information, athlete profiles, news and results, please visit athletics.com.au.
IAAF world championships
Daegu (KOR)
August 27 – September 4, 2011
ENDS
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