Australian Olympic champion Sally Pearson may never snatch the world record in the 100-meter hurdles, but she’s now a Guinness World Record holder.
Pearson, 27 and the 2008 Olympic champion, smashed the world record for the 100-meter egg-and-spoon run Monday. She conquered a green path laid outside a Holiday Inn in downtown Sydney, where traffic had to be stopped, in 16.59 seconds.
Pearson easily broke the previous mark of 19.39 seconds set by New Yorker Ashrita Furman. You may remember Furman, who owns more than 100 world records including the world record for most world records, from an HBO “Real Sports” feature a few years ago.
“I’m pretty stoked to take it,” Pearson said, according to the Daily Telegraph. “I never thought my first world record would be in the egg and spoon.”
“But I was really happy to give it a crack.”
Getting ready 4 the attempt at the world record for the fastest 100m egg and spoon race #BIGDifference @HolidayInn pic.twitter.com/mvIus8Jd64
— Sally Pearson OAM (@sallypearson) September 22, 2013
Pearson’s personal best in the 100-meter hurdles is 12.28 seconds, .07 of a second shy of Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova‘s mark from 1988.
I just broke the world record 4 the fastest egg and spoon race in 16.59! Didn't think not would be my 1st world record but ill take it!! :)
— Sally Pearson OAM (@sallypearson) September 22, 2013
“We are getting a lot of teams competing lately,” Guinness World Record spokesman Chris Sheedy told the Daily Telegraph. “But you don’t see an individual beat the record like that.”
“I think that one will stand for a while.”
My world record certificate @holidayinn @thetodayshow pic.twitter.com/KFkozpoG9U
— Sally Pearson OAM (@sallypearson) September 22, 2013
