A week in the life of Jana Pittman: Two world junior championships and HSC exams in three countries

17 October 2020

A week in the life of Jana Pittman: Two world junior championships and HSC exams in three countries

How is this for resilience? This week in 2000 a 17-year-old Jana Pittman won two world junior championships and sat her Higher School Certificate in three countries.

On 17 October 2000, 19 days after her Sydney Olympics Games last appearance, teenager Jana Pittman started her campaign at the World Junior Championships in Santiago, Chile. She would compete on all six days of the World Junior Championships, going undefeated as she won the 400m and 400m hurdles, the first woman to achieve this double at an Olympics, World Championships or World Juniors. Rather than rest between those races, like her competitors had the luxury of doing, Pittman would be required to sit four of her Higher School Certificate exams in the Australian Embassy in Santiago.

Between races and exams in Santiago, she even had to study in the hallway at her accommodation.

"It has been a very hard time,” said Pittman. “We have been staying seven to a room over here and it has been pretty cosy."

After the championships she still had more exams to sit. The fifth exam would be sat in Los Angeles airport on the way home to Australia, while the final exam occurred days after her arrive in Sydney.

"When I told mum how I went she was amazed," said Pittman. "She said it was great considering everything that I had on my plate.

"Running is hard, but then having to do an exam afterwards gives you the stress of running four 400-metre races.

"I can't say how happy I'll be when my exams are finally over.”

Pittman, was aiming for medicine, but would settle on Medical Science. Study was combined with an elite sporting career over the next 15 years as she won two senior 400m hurdles world championships, four Commonwealth Games gold medals and represented Australia at the summer and winter Olympics – the first Australian women to achieve this. At the end of her career she resumed study completing her medical degree and now works as a doctor, achieving her teenage goal.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Jana Pittman on the way to winning gold in the 400m hurdles