Pumped-up McLellan, competitive at everything, hates training with a passion

Sally McLellan's post race interview in Beijing would go down as one of her most engaging performances ever. "Did you see me?" she excitedly asked millions of Australians watching at home, while she seemingly was unable to stand still as she spoke.

"Did you see how pumped I was?" We certainly did. We saw McLellan hold her own in a star-studded field. We saw he keep her cool and focus when the favourite Lolo Jones stumbled in the lane beside her. We saw McLellan dive for the line in what seemed an almost dead heat for second place, which saw runner-up to 6th position all run within 0.02 seconds of each other.  And we saw her shock, surprise, and then jubilation as she realised she had won the silver medal.

From childhood flips to hurdles

Not bad for a 22-year-old Aussie girl from the Gold Coast - albeit one who has been in love with the sport for half her life.

When McLellan was four, her mother got her involved in gymnastics. "I was doing flips on the monkey bars at school and in the park. So mum thought that was a pretty good sport for me to start off in."

At eleven, McLellan turned to athletics, and putting her gymnastics training to good use, found herself at home over the hurdles.

"When I was fourteen, I won the national under 20 championships. That was pretty much when I knew I was going to be good. From that point on, I thought that when I got older, I would stand a good chance of getting into senior teams."

There is no doubt that McLellan’s mother has been her biggest fan and source of support, working two jobs to let her concentrate on training.

"We had it tough when I was younger, we didn't have a lot of money. Mum didn't want me to work because she wanted me to focus on my athletics. She would come straight from work in a cab, pick me up from training, and go home to have dinner on the table ready for me."

The Olympics had always been a goal for McLellan

"Growing up, I always wanted to go to the Olympics," she says, "but I never knew what for. I initially thought it would be for gymnastics - but when I started doing athletics, there was no doubt in my mind that I would end up going to the Olympics. In my mind, there was nothing stopping me."

After overextending herself in the Osaka World Championships in 2007, running both the 100m flat and 100m hurdles, McLellan, along with her coach Sharon Hannan, decided to focus solely on the hurdles for Beijing.

It didn't get off to the best of starts, with a hamstring injury during the Australian season in March. But the subsequent recovery and strength work left McLellan stronger than ever, and saw her enter the European summer season earlier than expected.

Competing in Europe provided a strong base of competition, and resulted in a personal best 12.53 second clocking in Monaco in July. But most important was the experience and confidence such a high level of regular competition would provide.

"The European season beforehand really helped me get ready for the Olympics, running against those girls all the time. So when I got to the Olympics I wasn't so scared. It felt like I was back in Europe running the circuit again, and I felt really comfortable."

“Just go out there and enjoy yourself. So I did”

But no amount of preparation could fully prepare her for the impressive nature of the Games. So it's no surprise that nerves began to creep in.

"The Olympics was the most amazing competition I've ever run in. The first few races were a bit scary, I was a bit nervous, because I hadn't competed for a couple of weeks.”

Her expectations grew as she progressed through the rounds. "First I wanted to make the final, and then I wanted to make the top five. But when you get there, all your goals disappear and you just want to win. You go into every race wanting to win."

“When the final came around, I didn't know what to think about or focus on. Then I spoke to one of my teammates, who said 'just go out there, have fun, and do what you normally do. Before you came to the Olympics you were competing against these girls, and you've beaten them before. So don't be scared, just go out there and enjoy yourself.' So I did!"

“To come out with a silver medal, I was just ecstatic! I always thought I was going to get a medal, but I just didn't know how I was going to do it. But I did it!"

For McLellan it was the realisation of a desire that had been a part of her since she was a young child, and had only intensified as it approached. And she made sure to enjoy every second of it.

"The victory lap was so special. It felt like I was in a dream, it didn't feel like I was down there. It was just sensational. And seeing all the Australian supporters out in the crowd was even more special, knowing that there are people from home here, who came to support me."

Given her successes this year, McLellan now has understandably high expectations for herself. "My goal for every single major championship now is to make the final. If I don't make the final, I'll be very disappointed, because I feel that's where I should be. My times have proven that. But when I get there, I'll be aiming to medal."

First ever indoor season

She is looking forward to kicking off 2009 with the Australian summer season and the US indoor season.

"I hope to go overseas and run in my first indoor meets in New York and Boston," she says. "I've never run indoors before - I tore my hamstring before the World Indoor Championships this year. And my Australian season goal is to win back the National Championship in the 100m flat and 100m Hurdles," - a title she had to forfeit this year due to the same hamstring injury.

But for now she is back into training - perhaps unfortunately because, as she admits, "I hate training with a passion. I enjoy it because of the socialisation, but I hate the pain you have to go through to get to competition level."

But for McLellan’s competitors, this is nothing to rejoice over - she is still one hard nut.

"I'm competitive at everything I do, I have to compete at something. I strive to get the best out of myself every single time. And I love competition. I love being out there. I love having the adrenaline going; and I love running fast."

Edward Ovadia for the IAAF