52nd Ostrava Golden Spikes - IAAF World Challenge 2013Jun 26, 2013 by Christopher Chavez
100mH Olympic Champ Sally Pearson Has Something to Prove in Ostrava
100mH Olympic Champ Sally Pearson Has Something to Prove in Ostrava
Event: IAAF World Challenge/Ostrava Golden Spike
Race: Women's 100m hurdles
Athlete to Watch: Sally Pearson (see all entries)
Date: Thursday, June 27, 2013
Time: 1:05pm ET (meet schedule)
Watch Live on Flotrack (starting at 12:30pm ET)
Brianna Rollins fired her shot first. Just days after setting the American record in the 100-meter hurdles (12.26), Rollins will monitor the performance by Australian hurdler and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Sally Pearson at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet on Thursday.
Pearson is coming off a year in which she ran the Olympic record of 12.35 in London for the fastest time of the year. Her personal best remains at 12.28 from the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, which until recently had left her as the fourth fastest hurdler in history. After this past weekend she now ranks fifth (and 10th fastest performance).
She told Athletics Weekly that she is confident about her fitness at the moment, even though she has yet to hurdle in 2013. In 2012, Pearson only lost one 100-meter hurdle race as she finished second to Kellie Wells at the Aviva London Grand Prix.
In a rush to assess her fitness after tearing her left hamstring for a second time since the Olympics, Pearson will race in Birmingham, Lausanne, Monaco and London.
Meanwhile, Rollins is not stopping as she remains perfect in her 20 races of 2013 and has already run the five fastest times of the year.
Rollins got faster with every round of the U.S. Championship even after she grazed the fourth and last hurdle while setting the American record. Her 12.26 now ranks her as tied for the third fastest all-time in the event and "only" .05 off a 25-year old world record. She is getting faster with every race experience and if the Pearson that shows up on Thursday is still banged up, the road to a gold medal in Moscow is looking easier than expected.
Wells and Dawn Harper-Nelson will await in Birmingham to challenge Pearson. Wells has the fifth fastest time on the year with her 12.60 from Des Moines. Harper-Nelson only ran one round of the U.S. Championship, because she has the wildcard spot to Moscow.
Pearson’s main challengers in Ostrava will be Tiffany Porter of Great Britain and Lavonne Idlette of the Dominican Republic, who have run 12.74 and 12.77 on the year respectively. If Pearson feeling as great as she’s been expressing, a victory should not be out of reach.
Race: Women's 100m hurdles
Athlete to Watch: Sally Pearson (see all entries)
Date: Thursday, June 27, 2013
Time: 1:05pm ET (meet schedule)
Watch Live on Flotrack (starting at 12:30pm ET)
Brianna Rollins fired her shot first. Just days after setting the American record in the 100-meter hurdles (12.26), Rollins will monitor the performance by Australian hurdler and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Sally Pearson at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet on Thursday.
Pearson is coming off a year in which she ran the Olympic record of 12.35 in London for the fastest time of the year. Her personal best remains at 12.28 from the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, which until recently had left her as the fourth fastest hurdler in history. After this past weekend she now ranks fifth (and 10th fastest performance).
She told Athletics Weekly that she is confident about her fitness at the moment, even though she has yet to hurdle in 2013. In 2012, Pearson only lost one 100-meter hurdle race as she finished second to Kellie Wells at the Aviva London Grand Prix.
In a rush to assess her fitness after tearing her left hamstring for a second time since the Olympics, Pearson will race in Birmingham, Lausanne, Monaco and London.
Meanwhile, Rollins is not stopping as she remains perfect in her 20 races of 2013 and has already run the five fastest times of the year.
Looks like I am bringing my A++ game to worlds this year with Brianna Rollins just running 12.26 at the USA trails today!!
— Sally Pearson (@sallyp100h) June 22, 2013
Rollins got faster with every round of the U.S. Championship even after she grazed the fourth and last hurdle while setting the American record. Her 12.26 now ranks her as tied for the third fastest all-time in the event and "only" .05 off a 25-year old world record. She is getting faster with every race experience and if the Pearson that shows up on Thursday is still banged up, the road to a gold medal in Moscow is looking easier than expected.
Wells and Dawn Harper-Nelson will await in Birmingham to challenge Pearson. Wells has the fifth fastest time on the year with her 12.60 from Des Moines. Harper-Nelson only ran one round of the U.S. Championship, because she has the wildcard spot to Moscow.
Pearson’s main challengers in Ostrava will be Tiffany Porter of Great Britain and Lavonne Idlette of the Dominican Republic, who have run 12.74 and 12.77 on the year respectively. If Pearson feeling as great as she’s been expressing, a victory should not be out of reach.