Coach warning rivals of Pearson fear factor

SALLY Pearson’s rivals should fear the former Olympic champion as she seeks to wind back the clock at the world championships.

Australian team head coach Craig Hilliard has no doubt the return of the 2012 Olympic 100m hurdles champion after two years missing because of injury has her rivals on edge.

Hilliard points to her stunning Diamond League run last month at the London Olympic Stadium — the same track where she won gold and will race again today — as evidence the veteran is still in the medals mix.

Pearson ran 12.48sec, her fastest time for five years, to finish second, a stride behind America’s world record holder Kendra Harrison (12.39).

“Go back and watch the London Diamond League and any of her previous major championship performances,” Hilliard said. “Sally is a major championships performer, that is what she has got going for her, so they should fear Sally.

“She’s an Olympic gold medallist, a world championship gold medallist, nearly broke the world record in Daegu [in 2011], so that’s Sally and she is confident in her ability at the moment. She is in a really good space and her warm-up yesterday was fantastic so she’s ready to go.”

Pearson, 30, is the thirdfastest hurdler in the world this year. The 2011 world champion was almost lost to the sport after being forced to miss the Rio Games but decided to start coaching herself last year.

Pearson has not appeared at a major championships since winning gold at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

At Australia’s team camp in Tonbridge in the lead-up to London, Pearson was confident her reputation would be a factor in the world title race.

“Sometimes sport can definitely be a mind game,” she said. “People know what I’ve done and people know what I’m capable of.”