Pearson back on track

SALLY Pearson has kicked off her world championship defence by training on track for the first time since pulling out of the Commonwealth Games.

Pearson pulled out of the Commonwealth Games due to an achilles injury she has been battling since 2015 and has spent the past three months working on rehabilitation before returning to the track at the weekend.

While the long recovery has been tedious, it has allowed Pearson some rare down time, as well as the ability to rehabilitate her entire body – including having surgery last month to remove plates and screws from the wrist she broke in 2015.

The world and Olympic hurdles champion said she had been “absolutely gutted” to pull out of her home Games but has now switched her focus to next year’s world championships in Doha and a defence of her title.