Olympics 2016: hurdler Sally Pearson believes experience will her greatest asset in Rio

SALLY Pearson knows how to win on the biggest stage. And that’s why the defending Olympic hurdles champion believes experience will be her biggest asset in Rio.

Sally Pearson winning gold at the Glasgow Games.

SALLY Pearson hasn’t just lived it, she’s thrived on the world’s biggest stage.

And that’s why the defending Olympic hurdles champion believes experience is her biggest asset heading into Rio next year.

“The good thing for me is I have done it before,” Pearson said. “I know exactly what is required of me at an Olympic Games.

“This is my third Olympics, I have won one already and got silver at another one so I know what to do there.

KEY DATES: everything you need know about the 2016 Rio Olympics

OLYMPICS: 10 best Aussie medal hopes

YOUNG GUNS: 10 rising stars set to shine in Rio

“The pressure is going to be there but I’m just going to have to take it off myself and not let it affect me.

Sally Pearson winning gold at the Glasgow Games.

“I’m not going to be unhappy about being there and not being excited because I have so much pressure on me.

“I have got to enjoy the moment and be in the moment as well.”

Pearson, who turns 29 next month, is looking to become just the second Australian track and field athlete to win medals at three Olympic Games.

The Gold Coast hurdler burst onto the scene when she won a surprise silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and then went one better when she blitzed the field to claim gold at London 2012.

Only the great Shirley Strickland — who won seven medals including three gold — has been on the dais at three Olympic Games.

Pearson is confident her recent wrist injury won’t impact on her Rio preparation despite it ruling her out of this month’s world titles.

The 2011 world champion broke her wrist in two places when she crashed during a Diamond League race in Rome two months ago.

It has been a slow healing process but Pearson believes the benefit of giving her body a rest could pay off in the long run.

“I haven’t had a rest since I basically started Little Athletics,” she said. “I have been going every single year and I think I’ve missed just one team since 2003.

“I’ve got to remember that, let the body realise it can have a break, it can heal properly without having to rush my rehab.

“I will get back into hurdles slowly like I do every year, do the same thing that I do every year but unfortunately I was just very unlucky this year.

“Hopefully my luck can change for next year and everything will be good.”

Originally published as Olympics 2016: hurdler Sally Pearson believes experience will her greatest asset in Rio