Sally Pearson to miss Rio Olympics but will likely use Gold Coast as swan song to athletics
THE reality is a spate of recent sub-par performances broke Sally Pearson, says Scott Gullan. And there’s still a big carrot that will drive the champ before she farewells the sport.
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IRONICALLY for Sally Pearson it took a fresh injury to ruin her Rio dreams.
Hamstrings have been her curse for a long time but over the past 12 months they’d actually been well behaved.
A broken wrist suffered in a race fall in Rome in June last year, followed by persistent achilles issues, is what had haunted her Rio preparation.
Then on the weekend it was her “good” hamstring — the opposite to the one which has historically given way — which tore and ended her Olympic career.
In many respects it put her out of her misery.
The sight of Pearson running last in Diamond League races in Europe earlier this month was sad.
Given she hadn’t raced for a year, the defending Olympic champion threw herself into the deep end because she thought it was the best way to find out where she was at.
But the reality is the below-par performances broke her.
Pearson and her coach Ashley Mahoney cut short the European venture, returning home to the Gold Coast for an intense block of training.
It was a move of desperation and for the first time one of the toughest and most strong-willed athletes Australia has produced was doubting herself.
She’d been expecting to be a bit off the Americans who had been dominating the event this year, but was genuinely shocked by how far off the pace she was.
While the signs weren’t great, you could never write Pearson off because she’d defied the odds before.
In the lead-up to the 2013 world championships she battled hamstring problems late in her preparation but still won silver.
At the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games it was the same with doubts about her body swirling around just days before the start of the event yet she managed to put that — and a very public falling out with the head coach — to one side and win another gold.
Pearson turns 30 in September and the hurt of missing Rio will take a long time to get over.
But there is a very big carrot dangling in front of her — the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
She will be the face of that event and has always dreamt of it being her swan song.
Her absence from Rio is a massive psychological blow to the track and field team which is light on for star factor.
While there will be strength in numbers with more than 60 athletes expected to qualify, it is a very young and developing team who are there more for the experience.
Pearson had been the team captain since 2013 with her style based around leading from the front with her professionalism and determination to succeed seen as inspiring to the next generation of athletes.
Javelin thrower Kim Mickle was her vice-captain and would be one of the favourites to replace her while Olympic champion walker Jared Tallent is another obvious candidate.
Whoever gets the gig, they’re up against it because they’ll be filling the shoes of one of Australia’s greatest ever Olympians.
Ups and downs of Sally’s careers
Highs
2012 London Olympics
Came in as the favourite, held her nerve and delivered with a brilliant victory.
2011 World Championships, Daegu, South Korea
The performance of her life, winning gold in 12.28sec which was then the fourth fastest time in history.
2008 Beijing Olympics
A surprise silver medal after race favourite Lolo Jones stumbled.
2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games
Defied injury problems and fall-out with head coach to win second Commonwealth hurdles title.
Lows
2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games
Tripped and crashed to track during final when in medal-winning position.
2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games
Controversially disqualified after winning 100m.
2015 Rome Diamond League
Crashed midway through race, breaking her wrist.
2016 Germany
Flies to Germany to see guru Dr Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt because of Achilles problems.
Originally published as Sally Pearson to miss Rio Olympics but will likely use Gold Coast as swan song to athletics
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