Olympian Sally Pearson's bombshell announcement
Australia’s track golden girl Sally Pearson has announced her shock retirement just 12 months out from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The 100m hurdles gold medallist at the 2012 London games is reported to have been brought down by unshakeable injuries that have been “devastating".
The 32-year-old star confirmed the news on her Instagram social media account, where she said her body was unable to meet the demands asked of her.
“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.”
Pearson admitted there were other reasons she had been forced into retirement – she chose to keep quiet for six months about the six injuries she endured in preparation for the 2020 Olympics.
These injuries include quad strain, a torn calf muscle, an inflamed hamstring, a knee complaint that needed an injection, a torn hamstring and another Achilles injury.
When asked if her decision was final by Olympic commentary veteran Bruce McAveney, Pearson’s said: “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.”
The decision to “hang up her spikes” left her numb and indecisive as to whether it might be the wrong decision, the star said.
However, in the end, the decision was ultimately not hers – it was her body’s.
Pearson became a breakout star when she won her pet event in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi before moving on to become a world-level contender at the 2011 world championships in Daegu.
The sportswoman sealed her fate in the Australian sporting world by adding another win in London not long before adding another Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow in 2014.
While Pearson missed out on the Rio games due to injuries, that didn’t deter her from claiming a world title back in 2017.