Olympian Jana Pittman trades activewear for scrubs and begins a new career as a junior doctor in western Sydney
- Jana Pittman is a three-time Olympian and two-time world champion hurdler
- She began work as a doctor on Monday, joining 47 interns at Blacktown Hospital
- Ms Pittman previously spoke about her struggle with bulimia nervosa
- She said she hopes her new career is as successful as her time on the track
Olympic athlete Jana Pittman has swapped her running spikes for a stethoscope, starting as a junior doctor in a western Sydney hospital.
The two-time world champion hurdler began work as a doctor on Monday, joining a team of 47 interns at Blacktown Hospital.
‘I loved my athletics career, representing Australia was gold, but I hope my future in medicine will be even better,’ Dr Pittman said in a statement.
Pittman is pictured winning the women’s 400 m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Osaka in 2007
‘It’s one of those things where you think you’re never going to get there, but it shows that if you persist with something you love, then it just might happen.’
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard visited Blacktown Hospital to welcome the recruits, the largest intern uptake of any NSW public hospital this year.
‘I want to congratulate Dr Pittman and her colleagues and wish them every success as they start their medical careers at this state-of-the-art facility,’ Mr Hazzard said in a statement.
Pittman has previously spoken about her struggle with bulimia nervosa which she developed in 2004.
She spent the next decade battling a dysfunctional relationship with food while she was at the pinnacle of her sporting career.
‘As an elite athlete, you have to watch what you eat. For someone like me who loves food, this was hard,’ she said.