JONES TO SWIM AT TRIALS BUT ROME STILL NOT ON THE AGENDA

March 4: Olympic champion and committed beauty therapy  student Leisel Jones announced today she would in fact contest this year's Telstra Australian Championships in Sydney from March 17-22 - but would still be unavailable for the FINA World Championships in Rome.

When entries closed at 5pm last night, the name Leisel Jones (Nunawading, Victoria) was on top of both the 50m and 100m breaststroke events and as part of her club's medley relay squad. Ian Hanson reports....

But Jones and her coach Rohan Taylor confirmed that the fastest breaststroker in the world would contest just her favoured 100m event - the race she has won at the last two World Championships in Montreal and Melbourne and at last year's Olympics in Beijing.

Jones, who is committed to a two-days a week beauty therapy course at the Melbourne's Elly Lukas Beauty Therapy College  also revealed her unusual training program, which only sees her in the pool three times a week.

"I have done a lot of really different things (in training) but as far as fitness is concerned I feel physically quite fit, it will be really interesting to see how I go," said Jones.

"I've done a lot of body pump and body attack classes in the gym...I find I get a lot more out of that than swimming....this year I'm not as scared to try different things.

""It is the different aspects that keeps me really interested and it is all based around swimming fast and it is extending my career."

This is the new Leisel Jones training week:

Monday: A one hour body pump class (which is cardio based training) which she finds really challenging.
Tuesday: Pool session, Nunawading Aqualink
Wednesday: Gym and swim, Nunawading Aqualink
Thursday: Swim Session, Nunawading Aqualink
Friday: Jogging.
Saturday: Body attack class (high heart rate, cardio, far burning program)
Sunday: Jogging

Taylor said it was good opportunity for a world class athlete to train a little bit differently than traditionally while taking a break from international competition.

"It is a learning process for me as a coach and as an athlete...and it is extending Leisel's time in the sport....as we know athletes who walk completely away and take a break and lose total contact it is a lot more difficult to transition back in. This will be an easier transition."

Jones said she was totally committed to her beauty therapy course.

"I am really committed to the course; the world's were never on the agenda....I just wanted to try and do some relaxed races...try out different meets that I haven't done before," Jones said.

"Trials will be a great way to test the training that I've done. My beauty therapy course makes me excited to go to the next session.

"My mind is refreshed. I'm not thinking about training during the day...I get to have a glimpse of other people's lives ....and I guess I give them a glimpse into an athlete's life.

"Beauty therapy gives me that release from swimming...that spark back....I am certainly not training as much as I was previously and before Beijing.

"I am certainly not at the level I was before Beijing so it will be very interesting to see how I swim (at Trials)."