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Australian athletics great Pearson to be immortalised in Sport Australia Hall of Fame

Published Thu 24 Oct 2024

Australian athletics celebrates another achievement of its upper echelon, with Olympic champion Sally Pearson announced as one of eight new members to be inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) describes its honour roll of inductees as the most revered and respected sporting champions, made up of individuals whose collective results at the peak of their sport share a common dignity, integrity, courage and humility.

As only one of nine Australian women to have achieved Olympic glory in athletics, Pearson’s career exemplifies excellence, resilience and an enduring legacy in the sport, as she becomes the 39th track and field athlete to be inducted.

Her extraordinary achievements include Olympic gold in 2012 and silver in 2008, World Championships gold in 2011 and 2017, with a silver at the 2013 edition in between and two Commonwealth Games titles.

As the Australian record holder in the 100m Hurdles at 12.28, she was also the first Australian to be named World Athlete of the Year in 2011 and received SAHOF’s prestigious “The Don” Award twice, in 2012 and 2014.

Her two World Championships victories, achieved six years apart, demonstrated her remarkable longevity and determination, and six years after a four-year absence that denied her the chance to defend her Olympic title in Rio, Pearson returned to the sport as a self-coached athlete to win her second world title, which she counts as one of her proudest achievements.

“This is a landmark moment for Australian athletics as we celebrate one of our true greats,” Athletics Australia CEO Simon Hollingsworth said.

“Sally’s induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame is a testament to her extraordinary talent, perseverance and the profound impact she has had on the sport, both in Australia and on the world stage.

“She exemplifies what it means to overcome adversity, having set multiple setbacks throughout her career and yet always returned stronger. Her ability to compete at the highest level has inspired many and her legacy will be felt for generations to come. We are incredibly proud to see her receive this well-deserved recognition and to have her as such a prominent figure in the history of Australian athletics.”

Pearson, who will be formally inducted at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Gala Dinner at the Crown Melbourne on Monday, November 18, expressed her excitement and disbelief at the honour:

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in. It’s so surreal. It feels like it just happens to people you see on TV,” she said.

“I still feel like I’m watching the Sydney Olympics and watching Cathy Freeman run. When Steve Hooker won gold in Beijing I was sitting on the sidelines. Even though I won silver, I was thinking, this is really cool. I’m watching this person, this athlete, just doing amazing things. It’s a bizarre feeling that I’m one of those people now.

As Pearson prepares to take her place among Australia’s sporting greats, Athletics Australia joins the nation in celebrating her incredible career and this remarkable milestone.

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted 24/10/2024


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