| Pearson entered the championships as favourite, with the fastest time of the season and an unbeaten record. in 2011 She was 0.20 faster than anyone else in the heats, running 12.53, then in the semi-finals, clocked 12.36, a full 0.38 ahead of Olympic Champion Dawn Harper. Porter, transplanted from the USA to Britain, set a national record of 12.56 as the second fastest semi-finalist. A Mexican wave flowed around the stadium as the finalists were introduced, but it thankfully stopped as the women were called to their marks. Showing remarkable consistency, Pearson was already a tenth up on the field by hurdle five, drawing gasps of admiration from the crowd with her superb style. She won clearly in 12.28, the world’s fastest time since 1992. The battle for silver was between the three Americans and Porter. At the sixth hurdle Wells came unstuck, and the Briton clipped the ninth, leaving Carruthers edging Harper by three thousandths. Semi-final winner George cramped up in the final. Pearson’s Daegu performance ultimately led to her being named IAAF Woman Athlete of 2011. |
