Olympic 100m hurdles champion Sally Pearson has revealed that she feared she could lose her left hand after falling during a race in Italy recently.

The Australian, who also won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year, broke her wrist after tripping in the Rome Diamond League meeting earlier this month.

The 28-year-old told BBC Sport: "I was terrified seeing my hand going in a different direction. I thought they would have to amputate.

"I've never broken a bone, I've never had stitches or surgery before. Doing all of that in one, in a different country, was very traumatic.

"But I do put things into perspective and think I am very lucky with what happened. If it had been the ankle, it would be a completely different story."

Pearson also shared an image on Twitter of her X-rays and her wrist before undergoing surgery:

The injury has ruled Pearson out of the upcoming World Championships, in which she won silver four years ago.