Surgery gives Pittman new hope

Jana Pittman, the 400 metre hurdles world champion, may have proven hasty in ruling herself out of the Olympics after an arthroscopy on her damaged knee today gave the Australian significant cause for hope.

Pittman had earlier conceded her season – and Olympic dream with it – was over after an MRI scan revealed a two centimetre laceration of the meniscus in her right knee, with estimates of a recovery time hitting five months.