Sally Pearson through to semi-finals at World Athletics Championships

In her first appearance at the world championships in four years, Sally Pearson qualifies third fastest for the semi-finals.

Sally Pearson and Japan's Hitomi Shimura in their 100m hurdles heat in London. Picture: AP

In her first appearance at the world championships in four years, Sally Pearson has resumed where she left off, dominating her heat to qualify for the semi-finals later tonight.

Former Olympic champion Pearson clocked 12.72sec into a slight headwind to win by more than a metre from her old sparring partner, the 2012 Olympic silver medallist Dawn Harper-Nelson (12.88sec).

“It was a lot of fun out there,” Pearson said after the race.

“I was pretty nervous because it has been a while since I’ve done a championship race but I felt comfortable. I feel I have more to give so I’m intrigued to see what I can do.

Pearson said she had wondered “thousands of times” if she would get back to the world titles.

“But there is something inside you which keeps you going and I’m glad I did,’’ she said.

Australia’s second sprint hurdler Michelle Jenneke (13.11sec) also progressed after finishing sixth in the fastest heat of the day as world record-holder Kendra Harrison set the pace in 12.60sec.

Other heat winners included the reigning world champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica (12.66sec), fellow Jamaican Megan Simmonds (12.78sec) and American Christine Manning (12.86sec).

It had been three years since Pearson last stood up to run a major championship race, her victory at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and four years since she contested a global championship, when she overcame a hamstring injury to claim the silver medal at the 2013 world titles.

She did only what she needed to do in today’s heats but the 30-year-old Australian will want to step it up in the semi-finals to prove she is once again a medal contender at this level after three years of injury woes.

Pearson missed the last world titles after she shattered her wrist in a race fall in 2015 and then further hamstring issues forced her out of last year’s Olympics.

She is determined to be at her best for her home Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast next April and is also planning to go to a third Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.

Australian head coach Craig Hilliard is confident that Pearson can get among the top five in London.

“I think she can, absolutely, and more importantly Sally believes she can,’’ Hilliard said yesterday. “Sally is a major championships performer, that is what she has got going for her, so they should fear Sally.’’

Sally Pearson looks great, wins #london2017 heat 100m hurdles 12.73

— Jacquelin Magnay (@jacquelinmagnay) August 11, 2017

Stevens qualifies in one throw

Fellow former world champion Dani Stevens was similarly impressive in the discus qualifying round.

Her first throw of 65.56m sailed over the automatic qualifying standard of 62.50m, and she will return on Sunday to fight for the medals.

Stevens has taken a different approach to her preparation this year, deciding to stay at home in Sydney training with her long-term coach Denis Knowles, rather than travel the world seeking competition and it appears to have delivered her to the world championships in peak form.

This is the first time since she won the 2009 world title, aged 21, that she has qualified for the final with her first throw.

“It’s always the dream, doing it on your first round throw in qualifying,’’ she said.

“I’m stoked that it was a decent throw as well. I was pretty nervous when I was going in there, but it’s great, straight through to the final.’’

The only throwers who registered bigger marks in qualifying were the reigning Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic of Croatia, who hurled the disc 69.67m in the other group, and Cuba’s Yaime Perez (65.58m).

“That fact that Perez came out and threw 65 got me geed up a little bit,’’ Stevens said.

“It works for your own confidence if you can hit one on the first throw and just bang it out with the first throw. I guess it shows what kind of shape you are in.

“I really wanted to get out there and attack the throw and, learn from last year (when she finished fourth at the Rio Olympics), not be timid and a bit scared of fouling. I wanted to come out and throw aggressively because that’s what you do normally.

“ A lot of people get caught up with the distance or the mark that you have to reach in qualifying so I really wanted to come out and just smash it.’’

Australia's Dani Stevens in qualifyng. Picture: AFP