The drama queen of athletics, Jana Pittman-Rawlinson, who once rose from her hospital bed as if Christ reborn and who also removed her breast implants as they were inhibiting her ability to run for Australia, now wants to become a Brit.
Soon to be re-married to her manager, coach and one-time husband Chris Rawlinson (they are just waiting for the divorce to come through, from each other…) Jana has indicated a desire to renew her stuttering career for Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics.
Despite her love of melodrama, Jana is an undoubted talent.
She is twice a world 400m hurdles champion, a two-time Commonwealth Games champion and one of the few genuinely elite, world standard track stars this country has produced in decades.
Her dedication to the green and gold has never previously been questioned. Jana has missed as many major championships as she has competed in but all have been the result of legitimate injury battles.
After spending $13,000 on breast implants, she earlier this year chose to have the procedure reversed, saying, “every time I raced I panicked about whether I was letting my country down, all for my own vanity … I don’t want to short change Australia.”
Odd, but hardly the sentiment of a dispirited Aussie on the verge of jumping ship to Mother England.
So is this simply another in a long line of attention seeking stunts or will we actually see Jana line up on the blocks at London 2012 in a British uniform?
The outrage from the Australian sport loving public will be loud and predictable.
The likes of Raelene Boyle have already criticised the proposed defection, arguing Jana has received in excess of $500,000 in Australian sports funding over her career, including several long spells off the track with injury where she failed to run for her country.
Jana has often remarked her career has not been a money spinner and finances do appear to be a considerable factor in the decision.
Great Britain’s Olympic funding is wildly in excess of anything on offer from Australia and with Sebastian Coe rumoured to have personally approached Rawlinson about a switch to the UK, it is a safe bet Jana would be well compensated.
While many will shake their head and utter ‘good riddance’ should Jana make the switch, Australia should show caution in condemning such a move.
Surly and sullen he may be but we still celebrated Dale Begg Smith’s Winter Olympic efforts, a Canadian who is believed to have spent as little as 48 hours in Australia in the last five years.
The Australian government even intervened late last year to change citizenship laws to reduce the mandatory time overseas athletes must spend in Australia before donning the green and gold.
Based on the new ‘gifted athlete’ condition, it allowed Russian born and raised Tatiana Borodulina to compete in speed skating for Australia at Vancouver despite falling short of the previous four year residency requirement.
Jarmila Groth played Venus Williams at Wimbledon overnight.
From Slovakia, now married to an Australian and in the country since she was 18, the now 23 year old is a fully fledged Aussie and receives the same crowd support as any other.
Indeed, between Groth, Jelena Dokic & Anastasia Rodionova, our Fed Cup team relies heavily on Sam Stosur and Alicia Molik to provide home grown talent.
Australia have its best track and certainly field team in years and the absence of a two-time world champion would be a significant loss.
However, Jana has lived in the UK for four years and not competed for Australia since the World Championships in Osaka, 2007, while her theatrics on the international stage have long been a source of frustration within the athletics community.
Married, or soon to be, to a UK citizen, she is entitled to compete for England and some would argue Australia would be better off without her.
Regardless, the point is Australia cannot have it both ways, whatever Jana’s eventual decision.
We readily accept foreign athletes and revel in their success, admiring their gumption to move across the world to fulfil their sporting dreams. Think Tatiana Grigorieva, Kostya Tszyu and countless others.
On the rare occasion an athlete chooses to defect from Australia, even one as strange and as dividing of opinion as Jana, we can sound our disappointment but should hold off on judgement.
Mina Van Asselt
Guest
When the story ran on Ch 9 and they actually called her a 'traitor' had anyone actually checked out the truth or even spoken to her to ask? NO. She was applying for a residency visa because you can only be in UK for 6 months without a visa. She has not started this story , the media made the jump that she wanted to run for britain not her. So who is the to blame for this drama? Sensationalist journalists!. And talking about the media stretching the truth by the way she NEVER divorved her husband and remarried. Look at the facts. They were separated for 7 months during 2009 and got back together in 2009 and renewed their vows to each other already earlier this year 2010. In this country you need to have been separated at least 12 months before you can even apply for a divorce! So do the calculation folks who is really causing the drama here? I think the media needs to take a bow not Jana.
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
It's best to wish genuinely disturbed people happiness however they can find it. Jana's behavior over her entire career shows that she is a disturbed person. Probably she needs counselling more than she needs new citizenship, but if she thinks she can find happiness by switching her allegiance to Great Britain, then I wish her luck. She is an extraordinarly talented athlete, but this doesn't protect against innate loopiness. With all the crazy episodes from her life, heaven help her if she ever gives the English tabloids cause to go to town on her. As an "outsider" coming in to claim English money, she would certainly be setting herself up for attack. Luckily the English tabloids aren't much interested in athletics.
Devo
Guest
Just take a look at the percentage of Australians that are of other backgrounds than english (UK) then count the amount of athletes or sportspeople that represent Australia or compete in professional sport in Australia um it looks something like this population 70-80% non english ie other european,African,Asian etc and about 90-95 % of Aussie sportsmen being of you guessed it Australian of ENGLISH decent.that makes for a fair equationThe big happy family is going to fall from grace soon as their population grows ever smaller and the ethnic groups recieve little or no funding like their Aussie English counterpart whom get it handed to them on a silver platter.The multicultural Aussies recieve little or no positions in any Aussie team.And to say Australia isn`t racist geez you had me fooled jokes.Just look at the Australian soccer team whom are the best players we ever had mmm,Aloisi,Zelic,Cahill,Petrovski and no wonder we keep losing with a bunch of rich spoilt English/Aussie kids given the go ahead over the top of the proven multi cultural ethnic Australian whom has the skill but not the cash or chance.Australian sport and politicians need to wake up.WE Are not DUMB and as for Jana if she has shown betrayal to the Aussies get rid of her you don`t need a weak link especially after she has done nothing for how many years,i`m sure there are plenty of Aussies here at home that have trained hard for years for an opportunity give them a go not a has been try hard done nothing got a rich family free ticket type.typical of Australia`s lack of support to other nationalities when it comes to anything.Get rid of the happy family once and for all Australians of all races need it.Fair go to all isn`t that supposed to be Australia.
Gob Bluth
Guest
Good bye and take all the bludgers with you. Olympic funding is a farce and a complete waste of cash.
mushi
Roar Guru
At the moment the only confirmed development is that she enquired about an English passport. Now anyone who has travelled in Europe would understand why this would be helpful whilst living/holidaying in Europe. Perhaps we wait for a little more information before condemning her…
funkygabe
Roar Rookie
See you later Jana! Leave the passport and tracksuits at the customs desk on the way out...
Misha
Guest
"We still celebrated Dale Begg Smith’s Winter Olympic efforts" - actually I don't think very many did at all. Many might have admired his ability and accomplishments but very few would claim hm as Australian! We should let anyone go who contemplates competing for another country. Why should we get behind sports stars if they are ambivalent about our support?
gg
Guest
So she's cash strapped but managed to find 13K for unnecesary surgery? Either she's nuts or this article is mistaken.