The day Sally Pearson almost gave it all away American Brianna Rollins, left, finishes 0.06sec in front of Sally Pearson in the women's 100m hurdles final at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow, Russia, at the weekend. A MONTH before she arrived in Moscow, Sally Pearson was so close to giving up on her world championships campaign that she threatened to pack her suitcase and go home. After a six-month struggle to be ready for the international season, during which she twice tore her hamstring, Pearson had just finished seventh at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne in 12.75sec and she could not believe that she would be ready to contend for the medals in Moscow. At the same time, a new threat to her supremacy, 21-year-old American Brianna Rollins, had emerged, running the fastest time for 20 years (12.26sec) at the US titles. The gulf between where Pearson was and where she needed to be in a month to contend for a medal suddenly seemed insurmountable. "She was actually packing her port," Pearson's coach Sharon Hannan revealed after a silver medal was safely in the athlete's keeping. When there was a seventh, that was just incomprehensible to her. Pearson says the idea of quitting was momentary and borne of frustration. "It was just one of those irrational thoughts that go through your mind, that you want to give up when it's hard," she said. But there was always "something in the back of my mind, telling me: 'You've still got it'." Hannan revealed that Pearson had to fight her doubts repeatedly to get to Moscow. "There have been a few tough days, really tough days," she said. She did really question whether she should keep going or whether she should just go home, whether it wasn't going to happen, whether she was going to be in good shape by the time she got here. All of those questions kept coming up over and over and over again. Sometimes she just couldn't believe, because through those races she wasn't performing and it was hard to convince her that she was going to get into much better shape. Hannan just kept saying to her, "Back yourself." "She'd been at the very top and, fair enough, it was a delayed preparation and a stuffed-up preparation but I still thought we had time, so we were just counting the weeks," Hannan said. The turning point came in Pearson's last race before Moscow, when she finally won a Diamond League race in London. That win was an "exponential" boost to her confidence at a time when she needed it, Hannan said. From the yawning chasm between Rollins and Pearson six weeks ago, Pearson closed the gap to just 0.06sec when they met for the first time in the world championship final in Moscow. That is why, for one of the rare moments of her career, Pearson can smile with a silver medal. "It's a satisfying medal placing ... it's been very hard for me this year," she said. The Olympic and world 100m hurdles champion overcame two hamstring tears, a chunk of missed training and a late start to the season this year to win that silver medal. But after Rollins's triumph (in 12.44sec), Pearson vowed that would be the last time anyone got the better of her at a major championship. If I had been 100 per cent I would have smashed that race. It really excites me that I know when it counts I can still deliver. I only got beaten by the narrowest of margins by girls who are in their best shape. The consolation for Pearson was that Rollins was also slower than Pearson at her best. Rollins appeared from Clemson College in Florida this year to take the American scene by storm, winning the US title in 12.26sec, faster than Pearson's personal best and the fourth-fastest time in history Pearson expects Rollins to be there for many years to come and welcomes her rise. "You expect it from anyone if they can handle the pressure then they are going to be around for a long time and I think she was able to do that yesterday, especially with her terrible start and coming through the race to win it still," Pearson said.