She may be one of the star turns of the World Indoor Athletics Championships but Sally Pearson insists it's merely a stepping stone for her Commonwealth Games preparations.
Pearson will run in the 60m hurdles event this weekend in Birmingham, where she'll aim to retain the title she won in 2012.
However, the 31-year-old former Olympic champion admits she has one eye on claiming gold in her home town of the Gold Coast next month.
"We've already had the national championships and on April 4 we have the Commonwealth Games," Pearson said.
"We are all preparing for that.
"I feel physically and mentally ready for this but my main focus is the Commonwealth Games now, partly because it will take place just ten minutes from where I live."
It's been a tumultuous two years for Pearson, who suffered the heartbreak of injury ruling her out of the 2016 Olympics in Rio only to bounce back in stunning fashion a year later and win the world championships in London.
That success saw her nominated for the comeback of the year gong at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco, where she was pipped by Roger Federer following his shock Australian Open victory.
Despite missing out on that prize, Pearson said overcoming serious wrist, hamstring and achilles tendon problems to win her second 100m hurdles world title was still the greatest achievement of her career.
"It was a long way for me to come back after my dramatic fall," she said.
"I decided to train myself and it was a fun ride. It gives me a different perspective of the sport I love.
"I had four serious injuries in 12 months time. For me, even coming back, I cannot be more proud, more excited to be competing."
Pearson will run in her opening heat on Friday (5.15am AEDT on Saturday) and the semi-finals and final take place on Saturday (Sunday morning).
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