Gold Coast sporting heroes Samantha Stosur and Sally Pearson have been honoured with a welcome home parade.

Hundreds of fans turned out to greet the champions today at the Southport Broadwater Parklands.

Brock Taylor reports.

TRANSCRIPT

Two Gold Coast champions, welcomed home in true Gold Coast style.

Sally Pearson and Sam Stosur have risen through the ranks to become world beaters.

Stosur became the first Australian woman to win a Grand Slam in 31 years when she beat Serena Williams in an emotion charged US Open final.

Pearson won Australia’s only Gold Medal of the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

Earlier, Pearson arrived home from Europe in time to celebrate her 25th birthday and the honour of a civic reception.

Sally Pearson, 100m Hurdles World Champion: “You couldn’t ask for a better birthday I guess, I’m a bit tired and jetlagged but I’ll get through the day just fine. I can’t wait to get home and have some chocolate and cake and whatever I can get my hands on.”

Pearson says she wouldn’t use last weekend’s fall at the Brussels Diamond League meet as motivation for her pursuit for Olympic Gold in London.

Sally Pearson, 100m Hurdles World Champion: “It is sport and it’s hurdling and hurdling is so unpredictable you can’t guarantee anything.”

Pearson and Stosur join many other Gold Coast sporting heroes to be handed the keys to the city. The long list includes Olympic champions Emma Snowsill, Ken Wallace and Nikki Hudson.

But the stories of these two champions are intertwined, both attended Helensvale State High before progressing through the Queensland Academy of Sport.

Winning Olympic gold could be yet another parallel in their sporting glory.

Brock Taylor, QUT News.