Olympian Sally Pearson's bombshell announcement
<p><span>Australia’s track golden girl Sally Pearson has announced her shock retirement just 12 months out from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. </span></p>
<p><span>The 100m hurdles gold medallist at the 2012 London games is reported to have been brought down by unshakeable injuries that have been “devastating".</span></p>
<p><span>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. </span></p>
<p><span>“I am here to let you all know that I have decided to retire from my sport of athletics,” she posted.</span></p>
<p><span>“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.”</span></p>
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<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
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<p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/B0zEAUEjAEf/" target="_blank">I am here to let you all know that I have decided to retire from my sport of athletics. 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. I hope I have made you proud Australia.</a></p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/salpearson/" target="_blank"> Sally Pearson</a> (@salpearson) on Aug 5, 2019 at 2:53pm PDT</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p><span>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.</span></p>
<p><span>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.</span></p>
<p><span>“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. </span></p>
<p><span>“I don’t think it is fair to do that to that to myself and my body, as well.”</span></p>
<p><span>The decision to “hang up her spikes” left her numb and indecisive as to whether it might be the wrong decision, the star said. </span></p>
<p><span>However, in the end, the decision was ultimately not hers – it was her body’s.</span></p>
<p><span>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.</span></p>
<p><span>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.</span></p>
<p><span>While Pearson missed out on the Rio games due to injuries, that didn’t deter her from claiming a world title back in 2017.</span></p>
