Leisel Jones has provided her strongest indication she is ready to carry on and become the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Olympic Games.
Clearly encouraged after breaking two world shortcourse records this month in Berlin, triple Olympic gold medallist Jones is talking about the 2012 London Games with fresh enthusiasm.
Leisel Jones has provided her strongest indication she is ready to carry on and become the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Olympic Games.
Clearly encouraged after breaking two world shortcourse records this month in Berlin, triple Olympic gold medallist Jones is talking about the 2012 London Games with fresh enthusiasm.
"No one on the Australian team has ever done four Olympics it would be a pretty big thing if I chose to continue and physically there is no reason why I can't go on," Jones told AAP on Wednesday.
"Physically I am in very good shape and I am actually enjoying the training, I like that side of thing.
"I am one of those rare athletes that enjoys training.
"...There is no reason why I couldn't as I will only be 27 (in 2012) in London and that isn't very old."
The prospect of the Melbourne-based breaststroker continuing on for another three years is a major boost for the Australian team after the retirement of Grant Hackett last year and with Libby Trickett still weighing up her future.
Jones said skipping this year's Rome world championships and maintaining a more flexible training schedule had her in a good frame of mind before the trials in March for next year's Delhi Commonwealth Games.
She was relishing the chance to compete under new suit rules in 2010 following the banning of the polyurethane suits that have turned the sport into a farce over the past two years.
Her best longcourse times came in 2006, long before the Speedo LZR Racer led the flood of super-suits at the beginning of last year.
"I think I will be the one rubbing my hands together next year," she said.
"I will be quite happy that I did not have to be part of it (this year).
"Some people have even changed their stroke for the suit and that is going to be hard to go back to normal.
"People benefited differently from the suit.
"I think they are going to have a bit of a hard time going back whereas I have just had fun with it and gone well, have not changed anything.
"All my world records were set in the old suits."
All swimsuits must be made of textile fabric from the beginning of next year. The reigning Olympic champion, who is in Canberra this week to attend a relay camp, admitted she had shifted her focus more towards the 100m.
"The 200 is probably a bit far," said Jones of the event in which she finished second at the past two Olympics.
"I enjoy the two laps a bit more."
Tom Wald
AAP