Sally Pearson announces retirement bombshell

Olympic gold medallist Sally Pearson — one of the biggest stars of Australian athletics — has retired immediately after six months of secrets.

Australian track golden girl Sally Pearson has announced a shock retirement from athletics less than 12 months out from the Olympics.

The 100m hurdles gold medallist at the 2012 London Games — has been brought down by unshakeable injury problems.

The stunning news, which comes less than a fortnight after she appeared in Sydney to promote the 12-month countdown to next year’s Olympics in Tokyo, was confirmed by athletics officials.

Two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, world and Olympic champion Sally Pearson has announced her retirement. Sally competed at three Commonwealth Games and won the 100m hurdles gold in Delhi and Glasgow. She carried the Queen’s Baton on its final leg on the Gold Coast. pic.twitter.com/fZsx6xYnGh

— Comm Games AUS (@CommGamesAUS) August 5, 2019

The 32-year-old had given no indication of the pending end to her stellar career, despite suffering a hamstring injury in July which threw her involvement in the world championships in Doha, beginning in September, into doubt.

Pearson confirmed the news on her Instagram account, where she said her body simply could no longer handle the taxing training load of a professional athlete.

“I am here to let you all know that I have decided to retire from my sport of athletics,” she posted.

“It has been a long 16 years, but also a fun and exciting 16 years. My body has decided it is time to let it go, and move forward onto a new direction.”

She told Channel 7’s Sunrise the real reason she has been forced into retirement is that she has endured six injuries in the past six months that she previously chose not to announce.

The injury toll included a quad strain, a torn calf muscle, an inflamed hamstring, a knee complaint that required an injection, a torn hamstring and another aggravated Achilles injury.

When asked by Olympic commentary legend Bruce McAvaney if her decision was final, Pearson responded: “When you count six injuries this year that no one knows about and another whole year to go of training to the Olympics, to try and win gold, I have major doubts my body will make it.

“I don’t know if I want to put myself through that again. 2018 was horrible with my Achilles tendon, and not being able to run at my home town Commonwealth Games. That was devastating. I don’t think it is fair to do that to that to myself and my body, as well.”

Sally Pearson poses with Chloe Esposito and Dawn Fraser at a promotional event last month. Picture. Phil Hillyard

She said in her 11am (AEST) press conference in Sydney the most recent Achilles injury brought her to “boiling point” knowing she had another significant injury to fight her way back from.

“I started hurdling again and then the Achilles started to flare up and that was it,” Pearson said.

“I just hit boiling point. Because of last year, I just wasn’t going through that pain again, that was too much to take and it was wearing me down as a person as well.

“I was unhappy, I was cranky. I just wasn’t a nice person to be around.”

She admitted she has shed tears in the last few days after coming to terms with the fact her career was over.

“The last few days have been really sad, because this day, today, has been coming quicker than I would have liked,” she said.

Pearson competed at a world relay event in Japan in May. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

“There’s been quite a few tears over the last few evenings, which have been hard, but that’s just part of it.”

She said the decision to “hang up her spikes” left her numb because she was in a spin about whether she was making the right decision or not.

In the end her body made the decision for her.

Her crowning moment at the London Olympics in 2012.

Pearson became a breakout star after winning her pet event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi before proving she was world-class at the 2011 world championships in Daegu.

She sealed her place as an athletics great by charging home to win in London before adding another Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow in 2014.

But injuries began to bite as Pearson missed the Rio Olympics. She bounced back for perhaps the most heroic win of her career by claiming an unexpected world title back in London in 2017 before also missing last year’s Commonwealth Games on her home turf of the Gold Coast through injury.

McAvaney led the tributes to Pearson on Tuesday morning, by declaring her one of the top five greatest female track stars Australia has ever known, “sitting alongside Cathy (Freeman) as our greatest female track athlete”.

Originally published as Sally Pearson announces retirement bombshell