Australia’s Sally Pearson has won her second world women’s 100 meters hurdles title in six years at the World Athletics Championships here.
Pearson, 30, who won the world title in 2011 and Olympic gold five years ago, clocked 12.59 seconds for the gold on Saturday evening, Xinhua news agency reported.
American Dawn Harper Nelson, who won the Olympic gold in Beijing and silver in London behind Pearson, took silver in 12.63 seconds. Germany’s Pamela Dutkiewicz finished third in 12.72 seconds.
“It’s been a long journey back from injury but to get this moment and go and celebrate in front of my family is unreal. This is just so incredible to be a world champion again,” Pearson, also the silver medallist in the Beijing Olympics, said.
“I love this stadium. I love the people and I’m so happy to have been back here doing the same thing again (winning gold). It’s a relief to be world champion.”
Nelson, Pearson’s long-time rival, was excited to be back and win the silver again in London.
“I’m so excited right now,” Nelson said.
“Me and Sally have just battled it out for years and it’s been so great to be here with her. Silver tastes like gold tonight. At the end, I could see Sally had won and I thought ‘it’s me and Sally again’.”
Dutkiewicz said: “I cannot believe it, I dreamed about this. I was so focused and I pushed so much. It is crazy. There were so many big names in the field. And since I was a girl I have been admiring Sally Pearson.
“This is like in a film. I had a flow. I am glad I caught this moment of complete flow, of complete concentration. One second later I might have lost it. I fought, I knew I was in front. On the finish line I thought I had finished fourth. You only see the athlete on the lane next to you. Madness!”