Jana Pittman

World champion athlete

Jana Pittman is one of Australia’s top athletes – a five-time World Champion and four-time gold medal Commonwealth Champion. In 2012 Jana swapped from Athletics to Bobsleigh to once again chase her Olympic dream, this time at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games as a member of the Australian Women’s Bobsleigh Team.

Jana qualified for her first World Youth Championships (U18) in 1999 at the tender age of 16. She made a spectacular international debut winning the 400m hurdles and making the final of the 400m.

Still only 16, she was selected for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and topped off an already stellar year winning the IAAF ‘Rising Star’ Award in recognition of her achievements on the track. She became known as an exceptionally talented track and field star and in 2003 she was the youngest person to be the 400 metres hurdles world champion. She was world champion again in 2007.

Throughout her career, despite soul-destroying injuries, Jana Pittman has exhibited the courage, dedication and self-discipline that the Australian public has come to admire. As a keynote speaker, Jana shares the insights, inspirations, trials and tribulations that have brought her to where she is today.

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While still in her teens, Jana beat a world-class field to win the prestigious Paris Golden League in 2002. Later in the year, coached by Craig Hilliard, she won her first senior title at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in the 400m hurdles and anchored the 4x400m relay team to gold running alongside idol, Catherine Freeman. In early 2003, she reached one of the highlights of her career when she came head to head with former relay teammate Catherine Freeman in the 400m and became the only person in 7 years to beat her.

Jana Pittman was Australia’s darling of the track and field and expected to be the next big Olympic star at the 2004 Athens games but an injury to her knee all but sounded the abrupt and devastating end to her season. However, a second opinion and operation in London put her back on the track just 15 days later; she came fifth.

In March 2006, a triumphant return to the track saw Jana retain her Commonwealth title in front of a home crowd at the MCG and set up an impassable lead to ensure Australia retained the 4 x 400m gold medal. By 2007, Jana was well and truly back and in fine form. Her competition campaign started with six wins out of seven starts, a great precursor to the World Champs in Osaka. Domination of the heats and semis there saw Jana power into the final where she claimed her second world title.

After a sabbatical of a few years due to injury, Jana took part in full training for the 2012 London Olympics but a recurring foot injury ended her track-and-field career and ruined her plans to compete in the 400m hurdles.
Jana Pittman has completed her Certificate IV in Fitness and is passionate about PittFitt, her own personal training business launched in March 2012, which enables her to share her knowledge of sport and fitness with others and help them achieve their fitness goals.

In 2013 Jana also enrolled in a five-year course to study medicine at the University of Western Sydney.

This always determined, dedicated and incredibly competitive athlete inspires audiences to never give up and to keep following your dream but also to be able know when it’s time to set your sights on new goals and dreams.

Jana Pittman talks about:

  • Personal career
  • Pregnancy and fitness
  • Nutrition and confidence
  • Personal training and health
  • Overcoming adversity
  • What it’s like to be an elite athlete
  • Public scrutiny and media
  • Dealing with pressure
  • Goal setting and action plans
  • Time management skills

If you want to be inspired, educated, informed or entertained and, at the very least, congratulated after the event on your great choice of Speaker browse our speakers.