By Rhowena Branco
Noosa hurdler Summer Johnson checked a major item off her bucket list at the Queensland State Athletics Championships, which were held in Brisbane recently.
Like any young aspiring athlete, it has always been a dream of Summer’s to race against the best in the business, so she was understandably thrilled to line up next to dual Olympic Medallist Sally Pearson in the Open Women’s 100m hurdle final at the championships.
Although focused on the task at hand, Summer couldn’t help thinking that only six years ago, she was just another 12-year-old athlete lining up to get Sally Pearson’s autograph at the Brisbane Track Classic.
“Sally has always been my idol and an athlete that I admire and look up to, so to race against her was a thrill and an honour,” Summer said.
“Although I wasn’t happy with my time, I realised that competing is also about the experiences we have as athletes, and this was awesome.”
Summer was the second Queenslander over the line, adding a silver medal to the bronze won in the 100m sprint earlier in the championship.
A love of hurdles and a talent for speed on the track is something that runs in the Johnson family.
Summer’s younger sister, Samantha, won Gold medals in both the Under 18 100m hurdles and 100m sprint at the same championships.
The Johnson sisters are coached by Mick Hooper and are members of Noosa Athletics having joined Noosa Little Athletics as youngsters.
