Jana Pittman in Rome (© Getty Images)
With less than fortyeight hours remaining before the opening round of the women’s 400m Hurdles, reigning World champion Jana Pittman was a model of composure as she met the mostly Australian media at midday at the Main Press Centre.
Two weeks ago, while warming up for her final pre-Olympic competition in Zürich, Pittman tore the lateral meniscus in her right knee, an injury forcing her to withdraw from the competition. Of more concern, however, was the severity of the problem and the time needed for recovery.
“I was lucky this happened at such a big meet,” Pittman admitted today. “I received instant attention and even had an MRI the same evening.”
Arthroscopic surgery followed in short order at a London hospital, and Pittman soon returned to the Australian team’s pre-Olympic camp in northern Italy for rehabilitation, a regimen which involved nine hours daily of a highly structured routine.
Pittman had her final training session on Wednesday, and now comes a period of rest.
“I plan to run like a ‘normal Jana’ on Saturday,” she said, “and I won’t be thinking about any past or future injury. Now that I’ve got my confidence back, I’m going to run my normal stride patterns in the opening round.”
Coach Phil King, appearing alongside Pittman, seems to relish his dual role as a source of confidence and psychologist for his protégée, and also as her technical mentor. “Jana has an opportunity to do something very special here in Athens, but of course, she must get through the heats first,” he admitted. “As far as I’m concerned, she’s 100%.”
Because of the fragile condition of her right knee, Pittman has had to do restricted training which included only three hurdles. “Her first challenge will be to complete the race on Saturday,” continued King. “In physiological terms, she’s all ready to go.” But he conceded that her lack of normal training the past two weeks may disrupt the hurdling and running rhythm which is of such importance in the ten-hurdle event.
Not a sit-at-home type, even with a big race upcoming, Pittman is planning to be at the Aquatics Centre tonight to cheer on her Aussie teammates. “It’s important for me to get into that winning mood,” she reasoned.
Ed Gordon for the IAAF
