32-year-old Sally Pearson's message that she hangs the nails in the birch came suddenly and just a month before she would defend her gold, from the 2017 World Cup in London, at the World Cup in Doha.
The reason behind this is that the Australian has been dragged with major injury concerns in recent years.
- When you count on six injuries this year and another full year of training before the Olympic Games to try to win gold, I have a great doubt that my body will do it. I don't know if I want to expose myself to it again, she said at yesterday's press conference.
"Great disappointment"However, the message surprises her former competitor Sanna Kallur, who herself was injured during her career.
- I can only imagine it must be terribly boring. There is one month left for the World Cup and of course she has been aiming to be there and also at the Tokyo Olympics. So it must be a huge disappointment that the body just bells out like that ... that something is constantly breaking. She is probably quite disappointed and almost shocked even before it settles, Kallur tells SVT Sport and continues.
- That it is coming right now, because she has not been open with the injuries she tells about now, it surprises me. The only thing I knew about was a back thigh injury a month ago. I was a little shocked, but she must have had this feeling a little because she had so much trouble. But having to throw in the towel a month before the World Cup must be so sad.