Over the past seven decades, this nation has given rise to some of the most marvellous track and field athletes to compete on the international stage: ‘Golden Girls’ Betty Cuthbert and Shirley Strickland de la Hunty, Herb Elliott, John Landy, Ron Clarke, Robert ‘Deeks’ de Castella, Steve ‘Mona’ Moneghetti – and so many others. More recently, we rejoiced in the triumph of Cathy Freeman who, as she carried a nation around the Sydney Olympic track to a timeless victory in that race, seemed to us all to be there and yet somehow not. How did she do it; how did she feel? We never really knew, because it is possible that even Cathy herself was not sure.
And then there is Sally Pearson, truly a national athletic treasure, surely the Australian athlete we would all hope to be like: flesh and blood, but possessed of an iron will and diamond focus – a winner if ever there was one. If Cathy somehow found the speed and strength to win, then there is no doubt about how Sally came to be the best hurdler in the world: she works and works and works; she never stops and never gives up and refuses to accept that any competitor will beat her on the day. No doubt dilettante sports scientists would tell you that she is either too short (or too tall) and perhaps that ideally from hip to knee to foot she should be several centimeters longer. But this matters not to her, certainly not to us and most definitely not to her opponents, who see only her steely gaze at race time and her blinding speed as she pulls away from them.
It is absorbing to read an account at the end of an elite athlete’s career, but so much more gripping to read about them when the competitive fire burns brighter than ever and they are at the pinnacle of their event. How did they get there and how do they keep on doing it?
Believe is not only a story about racing, but also about life and relationships: Sally’s redoubtable Mum, her marvellous coach Sharon and Sally’s rock, her husband Kieran.
We’re a sporting nation; we can’t help ourselves, we love winners. Believe is a story about winning by never giving in, about a ceaseless quest by one of our champions, about our Sally. It’s a great and ongoing story.
General Peter Cosgrove, ac, mc (Retired)