On Thursday, officially announced Australia’s World Champion 100 m hurdler Sally Pearson  withdrawal from the Commonwealth Games 2018 due to an Achilles injury that could sideline her for a year. Her withdrawal came on the day the CWG kicked off at Gold Coast. Speaking to reporters, the 2012 London Olympic gold medalist said that she is “gutted” to withdraw from the contest. “(I am) Gutted. Absolutely gutted. There were a lot of tears flowing,” the 31-year old athlete said.

Sally Pearson added that she triple-checked her health conditions before making the decision. “I guess you could call it grief. I was double and triple checking it was the right decision (to withdraw). Not being able to go out on that track and run for Australia is gut-wrenching,” she said.

The dual Commonwealth Games Gold medal winning athlete further said that the decision has been made purely because of health reasons. “I was full of confidence warming up (for training two days ago). I did everything I possibly could. I left no stone unturned to run in the 100m hurdles and the 4x100m relay. I went into a hurdles drills and couldn’t do it. These injuries can spike very quickly. It was unfortunate the timing was now but my health comes first,” she said.

Pearson added that her focus is on her health ahead of 2020 Olympics. “This is about my health, I want to go to Tokyo in 2020,” she said. The Commonwealth Games began from April 5, 2018, at Gold Coast in Australia. It is the fifth time the multi-sport event is taking place in the country.