BUENOS AIRES, April 10: Olympic judo bronze medallist Paula Pareto could be forgiven for forgetting to take the stethoscope from around her neck when she steps onto the mat for her first fight at the London Games.

Argentine Pareto, who won a surprise medal in Beijing in the 48kg category, is burning the candle at both ends as she tries to fit training and her medical studies into a packed day, which includes spending four hours at a hospital.

The 26-year-old told Reuters her status as an Olympian does not mean her tutors at University of Buenos Aires give her a free pass if she needs to train or get away for a tournament.

“As far as being absent is concerned, I have to tell them I’m going to be away, maybe a week or a bit less ... In that sense they give me consideration, but when I’m around I do what everyone does,” she said referring to her fellow students.

“I think the London dates just fit in and tutors won’t make an issue concerning absenteeism,” she said in an interview before evening training.

Pan-American champion Pareto, Argentina’s first Olympic medal winner in judo, says she is better for her Beijing experience but knows there is no guarantee she will do better in London.

“Really, I went to Beijing looking to see what would happen and get experience and I came back with the bronze medal so it was a return to my country with great joy,” said Pareto, who has the nickname “La Peke.

“I’m going to London more prepared than for Beijing, that’s sure, but we’ll see. I only had fifth place at the world championships the previous year and it was like no one knew much about me in Beijing.”

Watching her practice at the Cenard national training centre on the edge of the capital with an intensity one can imagine she also puts into her studies, it is difficult to imagine when she has time to rest.

“I take my rest more at the weekends than in the week because during the week the free time I have left between one practice and another I try to study,” she said.—Reuters