The
27-year-old – who spent much of 2013 nursing two serious hamstring tears –
today spoke at the official press conference for the IAAF World Indoor
Championships in Sopot, Poland, where she revealed her intention to successfully
defend her 60m hurdles title:
“I think
everyone plans to win their event – I want to win and I’m in good shape to do
that,” she insisted.
“The hurdles
is very unpredictable but I hope to be the best on the day.”
The Olympic
champion heads the 2014 world list with a scintillating 7.79 clocking from the
ISTAF meeting in Berlin five days ago and despite speaking confidently on her
title defence, Pearson highlighted the USA’s long-jumper-turned-hurdler,
Janay DeLoach Soukup as her biggest rival for the gold medal.
Having sped
to a stunning 7.73 Area Record en route to her win in Istanbul at this event
two years ago, the 2011 world outdoor champion did not dismiss the possibility
of her eclipsing the 7.68 world indoor record held by Sweden’s Susanna Kallur:
“I felt I
could have gone a lot faster in Berlin and now I’m in better shape,” she
explained.
“The world
record’s possible but I’m not sure if I’m quite in the shape to do that now.
Coming off the back of the Australian season is quite tiring with what I’ve
raced already and the times I’ve run but it could be possible.”
The
aforementioned season Down Under saw Pearson register 11.24 and 23.18 over 100m
and 200m, respectively before scorching to an impressive 12.59 100m hurdles in
Perth last month to stamp her authority coming into the event.
“Training’s
been going well and to run 12.59 in my first race and then 7.79 in the heat in
Berlin was great,” she recalled.
“Berlin
wasn’t the perfect race – I’d only been working on my technique for a few weeks
and I’ve only done the three indoor hurdles races.
“There’s
definitely more to improve on, especially my flight time over the hurdles but
that comes with practice and so I hope to go a lot faster in Sunday’s final - I’m
doing everything in my power to stay strong and healthy.”
Indeed, it
appears only another untimely dose of bad luck could stop the in-form Pearson
from once again enjoying victory on the global stage.
Following her injury-ravaged 2013 campaign, she switched coaches to work with long-time training partner, Antony Drinkwater-Newman to ensure injury would not damage her golden aspirations again:
“The thing that was the hardest last year was getting over two hamstring tears in eight weeks in order to get ready for the World’s (in Moscow, where she won the silver medal),” Pearson explained.
“It was a huge rollercoaster but I kept going and I knew I could make the podium – it was all about who was the best on the day and I gave it everything I could and thankfully got a medal.
“I changed coaches at the end of last year to focus on our goal of strengthening my hamstrings before getting into any hurdling and speed-work.”
Now evidently fully-recovered and almost back to her best, Pearson – who may have the USA’s two-time champion, Lolo Jones’ 7.72 championship record in her sights – has at last, the opportunity to grab her golden redemption.
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