London 2012 Olympics: Sally Pearson writes off hurdle rivals

AUSTRALIAN sprint hurdler Sally Pearson has warned her Olympic rivals they are likely to be running for silver in London.

The world champion goes into the Games as one of the hottest favourites for gold on the track, but also on the back of only her second defeat in two years. That came at the hands of American Kellie Wells at the Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace three weeks ago, a potential psychological blow ahead of their expected return meeting on Tuesday when the stakes will be rather higher. But it has not shaken the soaring confidence of the reigning female world athlete of the year.

“It was not a wake-up call,” said the 25-year-old, who has run the three fastest times in the world this year. “It was just not a good race. But she only beat me by two hundredths of a second. If they only beat me by that much when I have a bad day I feel sorry for them when I am on a good day. I expect myself to win. Everyone is chasing me, I am the hunted, but I love the competition.

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“My personal best is so much faster than everyone else’s in the race so they have a lot of catching up to do. I am definitely ranking myself number one. I hope it turns out that way.”

Pearson certainly has good reason to feel confident. Her world-leading time is 12.40 seconds, more than 0.1secs ahead of her leading rivals, while her personal best of 12.28s is just 0.07 off the 24-year-old world record. “I am capable of breaking it, it’s a matter of where and when I do that,” said Pearson, who more than lives up to the moniker sewn into her personalised running spikes – ‘kwikchik’.

Pearson will be up against the reigning champion in American Dawn Harper. Not that she sees her as too much of a threat. “She has a lot of work to do at the start to beat me,” she said.