Following in the footsteps of Lolo Jones (and the many that came before her) Australian hurdling world champ Jana Pittman is hopping in a bobsled and aiming for the Sochi Winter Games.
“It’s a very different sport,” Pittman told the local media at her workout Wednesday. “I have the physical attributes, it’s just now whether I can put it together in the split second we take off.”
She’ll join two-time Olympian Astrid Radjenovic in Australia’s two-woman sled.
“Astrid is only a tenth, two-tenths of a second off the leaders. So she has been looking for someone with a lot of speed and power for a while,” Pittman said. “If we can train well, I am committed to it 100 percent. Hopefully we can become top six at the Olympics.”
Pittman was the 400m hurdles world champ in 2003 and 2007, but injuries kept her from both the Beijing and London Olympics. Much like Jones, who never made an Olympic podium, Pittman has been heartbroken by her failures, but is excited by the new sport.
