Is there anything Olympian Jana Pittman can’t do?
If juggling six children while working as a doctor – during the pandemic mind you – wasn’t difficult enough, Pittmann wants to add another spinning plate.
“My goal is to join the Army Reserve,” Pittman told The Sunday Telegraph.
“I am halfway through that application, but I had the twins, so it has been delayed.”
The 39-year-old and her husband, Paul Gatward, announced the arrival of Willow and Quinlan in March last year, just months after her impressive stint on Seven’s SAS Australia.
After putting her mind and body on the line during the second season of the hit military-style show, it seems the real-life Wonder Woman has what it takes to join the military.
She said her decision was influenced by her brother, grandfather, brother-in-law and father-in-law are all veterans.
“We have a lot of family involved in the military,” she said.
“My brother was an ex-Afghan veteran, my grandfather was in the Army and my husband’s brother is in the Army, as is his father. Also my grandparents were Dutch and went through (Nazi occupation in) World War II.
“So we have seen first hand how the war can impact them when they come home. I have grown up with a lot of respect for veterans.”
Pittman’s brother Ryan was involved in the military for “several years” and did tours in Afghanistan.
The champion hurdler revealed it was her brother who inspired her to become involved with the Legacy Centenary Torch Relay, a six-month campaign that acknowledges veterans and families of veterans.
“This is my opportunity to thank the men and women who have represented our country,” she said.
“I think it is so wonderful they are getting 2000 people to hold the torch in various places around Australia.”
Pittman has already built a very impressive career.
She’s best known for her sporting prowess, having competed at three Olympics, been a two-time world champion in the 400m hurdles, and for her Gold medals at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games.
In 2019 she completed her medical degree and is now specializing in women’s health.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have a career after sport,” she admitted on SAS Australia.
“I know a lot of my friends have really struggled with it.
“Sport, for me, was almost an accident. I wanted to be a doctor from the age I could remember. I remember carrying a little doctor’s bag around that my granddad gave me, and it was full of all sorts of pretend instruments and stethoscopes and things. And so that was my goal.”
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