The 29-year-old has been dogged by injuries in recent years, including suffering from a broken wrist after falling during a race back in 2015.

After returning to competition, following calf and Achilles injuries, Pearson has now suffered a torn hamstring which will prevent her from defending her Olympic title.

"I'm disappointed, I'm gutted," Pearson told Australia's Nine Network in a television interview.

"It's the biggest sporting event in the world that I'm missing out on.

"It's devastating that I can't be at Rio as the Olympic champ."

Pearson’s absence will prove a major loss to the Australian team at the Games, after her gold at London 2012 and silver at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

She also earned gold at the 2011 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Daegu, as well as victories at the Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The Australian star had competed in three races earlier this month as she looked to build form ahead of the Olympic Games.

“This has been a big year, Broken Bones, torn Calf, degenerative Achilles and hammy problems and that’s just with me,” she stated in a blog post on June 18.

“Sometimes I wonder why I still continue to do this sport.

“To be honest I was a little disappointed with my results and also disappointed that my body was letting me down a little.”