Sally Pearson has described her remarkable gold medal winning performance at the World Championships in London as the proudest moment of her career.
The decision to train herself without the assistance of a mentor paid off for Pearson, as she reclaimed her 100m hurdles crown in stunning fashion.
“It was definitely the perfect race for the time I ran,” a triumphant Pearson revealed on SEN Breakfast.
“It’s about winning championships, and times are a bonus, but whoever crosses that finishing line first is the most important thing. For what I have gone through, it’s one of the most perfect races I’ve ever run; one of the proudest runs I’ve ever run.
“It’s the first time I have ever felt really proud of what I have achieved. Beijing was exciting and euphoric, London was a relief but for what I have been through, the challenges I have taken on by coaching myself and to put it all together and to come out and do it when it mattered was huge for me.
“I think I am more proud of Sally the person and what that person has been able to achieve.”
The 30-year-old explained how she called upon all her resilience and mental strength following a retched three years decimated by injuries.
“People don’t realise that I actually tore my calf before I broke my wrist, so the calf injury was what made me fall over and break my wrist. That was probably the hardest part,” she said.
“There was a 14cm tear in my calf that took the longest to heal and that caused another injury in my other achilles because I was using that leg so much more than my left one.
“All the injuries put together were just really hard for me to get over. I was at my lowest point hiding in the cupboards balling my eyes out asking myself what to do?
“Deep down, I really believed that I could and I love this sport and I have so much fun doing it and I wasn’t ready to give that up.”
It was Pearson’s second World Championship’s gold medal and adds to her gold’s at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Olympic Games in London.