After the 1980 Olympics, she approached Wilf Paish at the Carnegie Institute of P.E. in Leeds to coach her. He agreed to become her coach, and she moved to live with his family. A throw of was enough for Sanderson to win at the 1981 Pacific Conference Games. At the 1981 European Cup, Sanderson was runner-up, with Antoaneta Todorova having produced a world-record throw to win. Later in 1981, Sanderson suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in her left leg and also broke a bone in her throwing arm. An operation on her Achilles tendon was unsuccessful, and she required another operation. The injuries prevented her from competing for twenty-two months. Sanderson was fourth at the 1983 World Championships, where her rival Fatima Whitbread won silver. At the 1983 World Championships, she injured her Achilles tendon again, and had both operations on both Achilles tendons a few days after the end of the competition.