Sally Pearson not rushing plans as 2019 world championships, 2020 Olympics remain ultimate goals

SALLY Pearson is back training three days a week, having fully recovered from the Achilles injury that saw her withdraw from the Commonwealth Games. But she won’t be racing again until next year.

Sally Pearson has her eyes on some big prizes down the track. Picture: Getty.

REIGNING world champion Sally Pearson isn’t expecting to be racing again until March next year.

The hurdling superstar is back training three days a week, having fully recovered from the Achilles injury that saw her withdraw from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

But the self-coached Pearson is in a slow build given the delicate balancing act which confronts her looking ahead to next year’s world championships in Doha and then the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

“I know that we’re planning for the world championships next year and that’s really important for our sport and really important to me because I love the world championships and have had quite a lot of success there,” Pearson said.

“But the Olympics are the ultimate - everyone wants to win those and everyone wants to get that Olympic cycle right.

“So everything I do now is planning for the Olympics - with a side run at the world championships.

Sally Pearson has her eyes on some big prizes down the track. Picture: Getty.

“Because they are so close together, there won’t be a lot of down-time between Doha and Tokyo.

”Now that I have that experience of what my body can and can’t do I’ll make sure I do everything I possibly can to back up from Doha going into Tokyo in the best possible shape.”

Next year’s world championships are in October which makes the turnaround to the Olympic Games in late July tighter than usual.

Pearson, who turns 32 next month, has won world titles in 2011 and 2017 and was second in 2013.

The 2012 Olympic champion never got to defend her 100m hurdles crown in Rio four years later because of injury.

Her aim throughout next year’s domestic season is to be fully fit and racing by the national championships in Sydney beginning March 30.

“I can’t stay away for too long,” she said.

“I love to compete so it was never going to be a motivation problem (to come back).”

It is a new look athletics calendar after Melbourne was dumped from the series with Sydney, Perth and Brisbane to hold the three major meets of the season.