GAMES SURPRISE
Mr Hockey beats Sally for opening honour
captain Mark Knowles has sensationally pipped hometown hero Sally Pearson for the honour of Australia’s team flag-bearer at tomorrow night’s Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.
Gold Coaster Pearson, competing in her fourth Games, was overlooked in favour of the popular Knowles, one of Rockhampton’s favourite sporting sons who will retire after this event, also his fourth Commonwealth Games.
Knowles, known as one of the nice guys of Australian sport, is a hockey legend, having earnt more than 300 caps for the Hockeyroos in a career including Olympic gold in Athens in 2004 along with gold at the last three Commonwealth Games.
Games officials have hinted that Pearson may still feature prominently in proceedings on Opening Night, but she had been considered an overwhelming favourite for what other Opening Ceremony flagbearers yesterday described as “the biggest honour you can have”.
Pearson grew up just down the road from Carrara Stadium and is one of the Gold Coast’s most famous sporting stars, acting as an official ambassador for the Games as she chases a third straight gold medal in the 100m hurdles.
At 31, this is likely to be her last Commonwealth Games.
A two-time world champion and gold medallist at the London Olympics, Pearson’s sporting credentials are beyond reproach, but team officials still opted for Knowles, who lived in Perth for 14 years as part of the national program, but has returned to Brisbane and remains a proud Queenslander.
He had considered retirement after the Rio Olympics, but pushed on for one more major campaign, which will see him rewarded with the honour of leading the Australian team on to Carrara Stadium in front of 35,000 screaming fans tomorrow night.
Former Australian flagbearers Lisa Curry-Kenny and Kieran Perkins yesterday recalled what they called one of sport’s ultimate honours.
“It’s the biggest honour you can have,” said Curry-Kenny.
Perkins, who held the honour in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, went even further, saying: “It’s beyond the ultimate.”