Sally Pearson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sally Pearson
OAM

Sally Pearson in 2015
Personal information
Nationality	Australian
Born	(1986-09-19) 19 September 1986 (age 38) Sydney, Australia
Residence	Gold Coast, Queensland
Height	1.67 m
Weight	60 kg
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	100 metres sprint, 200 metre sprint, 100 metres hurdles and 200 metre hurdles
Coached by	Sharon Hannan and Peter Hannan ; Self-coached
Retired	5 August 2019
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	100m hurdles and 100 metre sprints
Personal best(s)	11.14s–100 Metre Sprint 12.28s–100 m Hurdles 22.97s–200 m sprint 1:02.98–400 m Hurdles 7.16s–60 Metre Sprint
Medal record Olympic Games Gold 2012 London 100 m hurdles Silver 2008 Beijing 100 m hurdles World Championships Gold 2011 Daegu 100 m hurdles Gold 2017 London 100 m hurdles Silver 2013 Moscow 100 m hurdles World Indoor Athletics Championships Gold 2012 Istanbul 60 m hurdles Silver 2014 Sopot 60 m hurdles Diamond League 2017 100 m hurdles Commonwealth Games Gold 2010 Delhi 100 m hurdles Gold 2014 Glasgow 100 m hurdles Bronze 2006 Melbourne 4×100 m relay Continental Cup Gold 2010 Split 100 m hurdles World Junior Championships Bronze 2004 Grosseto 100 m World Youth Championships Gold 2003 Sherbrooke 100 m hurdles

Sally Pearson, who was born Sally McLellan on September 19, 1986, is an amazing retired Australian athlete. She was best known for her incredible speed in the 100 metre hurdles race. Sally is a two-time World Champion and an Olympic gold medalist in this event. She also won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics and another silver at the 2013 World Championships.

Sally Pearson's Amazing Career

Sally Pearson was born in Sydney, Australia. When she was eight, her family moved to Birdsville, Queensland, then later to the Gold Coast, Queensland. It was on the Gold Coast that her talent for running was first spotted by her coach, Sharon Hannan. Sally was only 14 when she won national titles in the 100m and 90m hurdles.

Early Success and International Debut

After some injuries in 2002, Sally made her first international appearance in 2003. She competed at the 2003 World Youth Championships in Canada and won a gold medal in the 100m hurdles. The next month, at just 16, she joined the Australian team for the 2003 World Championships in Paris. She was part of the 4x100m relay team. In 2004, she earned a bronze medal in the 100m at the World Junior Championships.

Olympic Dreams and Medals

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Sally had a tough moment. She tripped over a hurdle in the final, losing her chance at a medal. But she kept working hard. By 2008, she decided to focus only on the 100m hurdles for the 2008 Summer Olympics. This was a great choice! She won a silver medal in a very exciting final. The race was so close that a photo finish was needed to decide who won the silver and bronze.

In 2009, Sally was in fantastic form in Europe. She won many races and even broke the Australian and Oceanian records for the 100m hurdles. She ran it in an amazing 12.50 seconds. However, back problems affected her performance at the 2009 World Championships, where she finished fifth.

Commonwealth Games Challenges

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India, Sally competed in both the 100m sprint and 100m hurdles. In the 100m sprint final, she was disqualified for a false start, which was very upsetting for her. But just three nights later, she bounced back! She won a gold medal in the 100m hurdles final. She also ran in the 4x400m relay, even though she hadn't trained for it. She collapsed after the race, but her teammates supported her.

The next year, she made history. She won three national titles in the 100m, 200m, and 100m hurdles. She was the first Australian woman to do this since 1968!

Becoming a World Champion

Pearson at the 2011 World Championships

At the 2011 World Championships in South Korea, Sally Pearson was incredible. She ran the 100m hurdles in 12.28 seconds. This was the fourth fastest time in history! She broke her own Australian and Oceanian records.

Olympic Gold in London

Leading up to the 2012 London Olympics, Sally was on fire. She had won 32 out of 34 races! She was the top runner in the 100m hurdles heats and semi-finals. In the final, she won the gold medal with a new Olympic record time of 12.35 seconds. She beat two American runners who also ran their personal bests.

Overcoming Injuries

In 2015, Sally faced a serious injury at the Golden Gala event. She fell over a hurdle and badly broke her left wrist. This severe injury meant she couldn't compete for the rest of the year.

In 2016, Sally was hoping to defend her Olympic gold medal at the Rio Games. However, she tore her hamstring during training. This injury forced her to withdraw from the Olympics.

Despite these setbacks, Sally made a fantastic comeback. In 2017, she won another gold medal in the 100m hurdles at the 2017 World Championships in London.

In 2018, she had to withdraw from the 2018 Commonwealth Games due to an Achilles tendon injury.

Saying Goodbye to Running

On August 5, 2019, Sally Pearson announced she was retiring from competitive athletics. She said her body told her it was time to move on. She is known as the eighth fastest 100m hurdles sprinter in history.

In 2023, Sally joined the TV show Dancing with the Stars.

Awards and Recognition

Sally Pearson has received many awards for her amazing career:

• 2008/2009 – Athletics Australia Female Athlete of the Year.
• 2011 – Female Athlete of the Year. She was the first Australian to ever win this award!
• 2011 – Received the "Key to the City of Gold Coast".
• 2012 – Athletics Australia Female Athlete of the Year.
• 2012 – Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Don Award.
• 2012 – Queensland Sports Star of the Year.
• 2013 – National Finalist for Young Australian of the Year.
• 2014 – Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to sport.
• 2014 – Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Don Award.
• 2014 – Women's Health Sports Woman.
• 2017 – Australian Institute of Sport Female Athlete of the Year.
• 2017 – Athletics Australia Female Athlete of the Year.
• 2018 – Was the final runner for the Queens Baton Relay at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
• 2024 – Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Her Life Outside the Track

Pearson at the 2017 Boost Boston Games

Sally was raised by her single mother, Anne. Her mother worked two jobs to help Sally pursue her dream of becoming an athlete. In late 2008, Sally got engaged to Kieran Pearson. They had been together since high school. They got married in April 2010 on the Gold Coast.

Major Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Australia
2003	World Youth Championships	Sherbrooke, Canada	5th	200 m	24.01
			1st	100 m hurdles (76.2 cm)	13.42
	World Championships	Paris, France	14th (heats)	4 × 100 m relay	44.11
2004	World Junior Championships	Grosseto, Italy	3rd	100m	11.40 (wind: +1.5 m/s)
			4th	100m hurdles	13.41 (wind: -1.0 m/s)
			5th	4 × 100 m relay	45.10
2006	Commonwealth Games	Melbourne, Australia	7th	100 m	11.50
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	44.25
	World Cup	Athens, Greece	8th	100 m	11.44
			4th	100 m hurdles	12.95
			5th	4 × 100 m relay	44.26
2007	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	15th (semis)	100 m	11.32
			10th (semis)	100 m hurdles	12.82
			14th (heats)	4 × 100 m relay	43.91
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	2nd	100 m hurdles	12.64
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	5th	100 m hurdles	12.70
2010	IAAF Continental Cup	Split, Croatia	1st	100 m hurdles	12.65
	Commonwealth Games	New Delhi, India	DQ	100 m	-
			1st	100 m hurdles	12.67
			4th	4 × 400 m relay	3:30.29
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	1st	100 m hurdles	12.28
			10th (heats)	4 × 100 m relay	43.79
2012	World Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	1st	60 m hurdles	7.73
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	1st	100 m hurdles	12.35
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	2nd	100 m hurdles	12.50
2014	World Indoor Championships	Sopot, Poland	2nd	60 m hurdles	7.85
	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, Scotland	1st	100 m hurdles	12.67
2017	World Championships	London, England	1st	100 m hurdles	12.59
2018	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, England	9th (semis)	60 m hurdles	7.92

Personal Best Times

• 100 metres – 11.14 seconds (2007)
• 200 metres – 22.97 seconds (2015)
• 100 metres hurdles – 12.28 seconds (2011) (This is the eighth fastest time ever!)

Records She Holds

See also

In Spanish: Sally Pearson para niños