ROME, Italy (Athletics Australia Press Release) – The Olympic champion Sally Pearson (Qld) will launch her international campaign at Round 4 of the IAAF Diamond League in Rome (ITA) this Thursday 5 June.
To be joined by her fellow IAAF World Championships silver medallist Kim Mickle (WA), who will compete in the women’s javelin, the Australian and Oceania 100m hurdles record holder Pearson will take to the competition arena with her sights set on a performance that matches her season best run of 12.59 at the Go for 2&5 Perth Track Classic in February.
“I’m looking forward to Rome as it will be the first test of my training program. I am hoping that my time will be the same or better than what I ran in Perth,” Pearson, who will duel with likes of world champion Brianna Rollins (USA), the IAAF World Indoor Championships bronze medallist Tiffany Porter (GBR), said.
“Training has been fantastic and I think I have probably trained better than I expected. I got back in to training after the Nationals pretty easily and touch wood my run without niggles continues.”
Pearson will compete at the Golden Gala after a strong domestic campaign that include an unbeaten run in the women’s 100m hurdles, a national crown in the same event (as well as the 100m) and her fastest ever season opening time in the sprint hurdles. She also won silver in the 60m hurdles at the IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Mickle has also enjoyed an outstanding start to her 2014 season. She eclipsed the longstanding Australian javelin record at theIAAF Melbourne World Challenge in March to boast a new personal best of 66.83m, won the national crown with a 64.28m throw and most recently placed second at Round 1 of the IAAF Diamond League in Doha (QAT).
