Sally Pearson: Long way back to the top

A little over a year after breaking her wrist, Australian sprint hurdler Sally Pearson spent the first day of the 2016 Olympic Games' track and field schedule training herself back home.

She had spent quite some time convincing herself to continue her career after breaking 12 bones and suffering one dislocation - this after a torn calf muscle sent her crashing to the floor at the Rome Diamond League in 2015.

One year since her self-training began, Pearson, who stormed back to the top of the podium in the 100m hurdles at the World Championships in London a couple weeks ago, on Thursday put her Italian nightmare to bed with a victory on the very circuit where she suffered that ugly, career-threatening injury two years ago.

The 2017 season of the Diamond League came to a boil for her at the Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League meet, with the veteran hurdler adding the Diamond Race trophy to her cabinet with a close 12.55 win over Sharika Nelvis, who ran the same time in an exciting finish inside the Letzigrund Stadium. Christina Manning was next best with 12.67 seconds.

LONG WAY BACK

Looking back at her World Championships win, Pearson admitted that it was a long way back for her after her setbacks.

"I think that not being afraid to lose is a good way to think because I am certainly not, and I have lost a fair share of races in my career. I know how to run myself into shape, and even though having so many injuries is devastating and immensely tough ... you have to take that time to grieve," said Pearson.

"I knew that I could be the best in the world again; I knew I could be, that's what kept me going and that's what dragged me to the Word Championships," she noted.

Pearson will now turn her attention to next year's Commonwealth Games in her home country, Australia.