Olympic 100 metres hurdles champion Sally Pearson finished seventh on her Diamond League return in Birmingham yesterday but vowed to be at her best for Rio after an agonising year recovering from injury.
“I’m not disappointed by today, it’s not nice seeing a 13 seconds in front of your name but this is my first real race in just over a year now so I can’t really complain,” the Australian told BBC television.
“I wasn’t running 100 percent out there. That’s not an excuse, it’s just I wanted to be out there so badly so I was going to risk not getting a great position and a great time,” added the 29-year-old.
American Keni Harrison won in a time of 12.46 seconds, with Pearson—whose personal best is 12.28—crossing the line in 13.25.
The Australian had clocked 12.75 in a local meet on the Gold Coast last month, her first run-out since she shattered her wrist when she fell in a Diamond League meeting in Rome last June.
She had feared her lower left arm might have to be amputated after that injury, and an old Achilles problem further hampered her preparations for Rio, where she will be competing at her third Olympics.
Yesterday’s race marked a return to proper competitive action and she said she felt good, despite the odd niggle. “It’s just so nice to be back and being in a competitive environment. For me it’s just taking one race at a time. I’ve got five in about two weeks so today is the first one of many,” she added.
“We always go out onto the track wanting to win but some days it’s just not our day. I’m going to make sure that I do everything that I can in my power to be at my best at the Olympics,” she added.

Ghribi receives World, Olympic gold medals
Tunisian long-distance runner Habiba Ghribi was officially presented with the Olympic 2012 and World 2011 3,000-metre steeplechase gold medals yesterday. The medals were stripped from Russian Yuliya Zaripova for doping.
The presentation came several weeks after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favour of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which had challenged what it considered to be lenient sanctions handed out by the Russian anti-doping agency (Rusada). Zaripova had fallen foul of doping rules due to anomalies in her biological passport.
The presentation to Ghribi took place in Rades, near Tunis, during the under-23 Mediterranean Games with International Olympic Committee vice-president Nawal el Moutawakel in attendance.
Ghribi, 32, was visibly moved by the presentation as her national anthem rang out. “I’m acquiring two medals that are very prestigious for me and for Tunisia,” she said. “To share this here, at home, with my parents, my family, the sports family, athletics, the Olympic community...”
El Moutawakel, herself an Olympic champion from the 400m hurdles in Los Angeles in 1984, said: “It’s very important to present this Olympic medal, that is so well deserved, to Habiba, here in her country.”