Sally Pearson, Mick Fanning among eight new members of Sport Australia Hall of Fame
Olympic hurdling gold medallist Sally Pearson, three-time surfing world champion Mick Fanning and dual-sport Paralympic champion Liesl Tesch were among eight new members of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame announced on Thursday.
Pearson, the last Australian to win Olympic gold on the athletics track, entered the Hall of Fame with Fanning, Tesch, former Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles, motorsport legend Mark Skaife and lawn bowls great Karen Murphy.
Two people renowned for what they did outside of the playing arena were also inducted: Gerry Ryan, who's made a tremendous impact on cycling and other sports through philanthropy, and the late Betty Wilson, described by Basketball Australia as "the founding mother of women's basketball in Australia".
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Pearson and company joined an exclusive club boasting legendary sportspeople such as Sir Donald Bradman, Rod Laver, Wally Lewis, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman and Lauren Jackson.
"It's so surreal," Pearson told Wide World of Sports.
"You have to sort of look back on your career with pride and realise, 'Yeah, you had a pretty good career'. Reaping the award from that now and having this honour bestowed upon you is something really special and something that I'm really proud about.
Sally Pearson. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
"... I think we're really lucky in this country to have some super special, historical greats of Australian sport, which hopefully we can continue that for decades and decades to come. It's amazing to know that your idols are there and now you're standing next to them."
While Pearson is best remembered for the London 2012 triumph that led to a screaming celebration after a 31-second wait, the Queenslander also won three world titles in her dazzling career.
Fanning surfed in an era in which Kelly Slater, Andy Irons and other legendary surfers were on the tour, but the Penrith product was crowned world champion in 2007, 2009 and 2013.
Mick Fanning. Getty
"I'm extremely honoured," Fanning told Wide World of Sports.
"I'm a huge sports nut, and growing up and seeing all the greats over the years and being in that same room is incredible. Someone like Sally Pearson I saw training on the Gold Coast at the same time I was going through my sporting achievements, and I was really inspired by the way she went about her craft. So I'm very, very chuffed.
"It was a big journey and you reflect and as you get older you sort of get a bit more sentimental, and when you think the sporting world's forgotten about you and then you get called back up for an award it's pretty special."
The eight inductees will be recognised at a dinner function at Melbourne's Crown Palladium next month.
