Olympic Track Results 2012: Sally Pearson Delivers Under Huge Pressure

Australian track star Sally Pearson not only won gold the women's 100-meter hurdles, but she also set a new Summer Olympics record with a time of 12.35 seconds.

Taking first place by 0.02 seconds over USA's Dawn Harper, Pearson and the rest of the group had to wait a few moments before the final results were revealed. Yahoo! 7 News put it best as "unbearable":

"

"Pearson was forced to wait an unbearable 30 seconds to learn if she had won gold after the tight finish yhoo.it/Mi1QYh #GoAussies #London2012"

— Yahoo!7 News (@Y7News) August 7, 2012"

Once they were, however, Pearson was ecstatic and rightfully so. Twitter was quite ecstatic as well.

"

"SALLY PEARSON YOU ARE AN EPIC WOMAN!!!! And look at all the Aussies in the crowd - SO PROUD!! #Hurdles #Olympics #London2012 #GoAussies"

— Fi-b (@fionahelen) August 7, 2012"

Nothing wrong with being proud.

"

"That "What?... I've won?" look on Sally Pearson's face is what you call a photographer's dream. #athletics"

— John K. (@TinyKama) August 7, 2012"

The "d'oh!" face of Homer Simpson is significantly underrated.

"

"Good morning! I woke up to my dad screaming, Congratulations Sally Pearson!! So proud of you!"

— Joan (@joan_rae) August 7, 2012"

Screaming dads are sports fans too!

"

"If anyone asks, I didn't cry after Sally Pearson won gold. OK? #maybealittle #London2012"

— Adam Liaw (@adamliaw) August 7, 2012"

Tom Hanks told us there's no crying in baseball, so I guess track and field is fair game.

"

"Sally Pearson = legend."

— Anthony Peterson (@AnthonyRP) August 7, 2012"

"Legend" is about all you can say.

In an event where literally anything can happen, Pearson has proven to be arguably the best hurdler of the 21st century. So much can go wrong in the hurdles solely because of the hurdles.

The typical spring events like the 100 and 200-meters are much more predictable since the competitors do not face an inanimate object. All a regular sprinter must do is run and not worry about steps and tripping over something that's not moving.

Hurdles, however, have shown us that anything goes. At the 2008 Summer Olympics we saw USA's Lolo Jones trip and drop from first to seventh. Fast forward to the 2012 London Games and the hurdles haven't been nice in the men's competition either.

Pearson on the other hand, was nothing but a pure relenting force over each hurdle. Possessing near perfect form and a rhythm that would make Beethoven jealous, Pearson delivered in crunch time. Regardless of the conditions and for as much pressure there was on her, she simply got it done when it mattered most.

And as the last tweet mentioned, it was a legendary performance.

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