Profile of Australia's Jana Pittman (© Getty Images)
Hello everybody,
Although I love both the 400m flat and Hurdles my event is definitely the Hurdles. I might double at the National Championships, I still haven’t decided, but in Paris, for the World Championships I will only have one objective: the Hurdles.
Usually the times that one runs in Europe are half a second to a second faster than what one runs in Australia. So in this early part of the year I will try and lower my times as much as possible before flying over to Europe.
I am planning to come to Europe around mid May and base myself in Rome, Italy for the first few weeks and then move our training base in the outskirts of Zurich, Switzerland. My coach, my boyfriend, who does almost all the training sessions with me and my physiotherapist will be part of my ‘European Team’. We want to try and simulate a home environment for the months preceding the World Championships.
I love the track in Paris and when people ask me about it – which happens quite often – I always tell them that I already have a special feeling with that stadium. I remember my first Golden League race and victory there last year, it was an awesome experience. It was raining and still there were so many people in the stands…that would never happen in Australia!
When I have some free time, I like going to the beach with my dog and watch the sunset. I also enjoy surfing and actually during my last training camp we used to go surfing after the training sessions. It was a great water recovering exercise!
I also enjoy being in my new house which we just bought and which will be my base for at least the next six years. I have decorated it all myself and I am working hard at making it a nice little place.
As for my hair style, which I used to change quite often in the past, it is still dark but with some little red stripes. And it will remain dark in Paris as well as my media manager asked me to stop changing colour so often because it made it difficult for media and fans to recognise me!
So I will stick to dark black at least until Athens 2004!
Bye for now
Jana