Australia's Jones to skip 2009 world championships

Australia's world and olympic breaststroke champion Leisel Jones is skipping next year's world championships in Rome in the hope of prolonging her career.

Jones said she had considered retiring after winning two gold medals at this year's Beijing Olympics but has decided to keep going, possibly until the 2012 Olympics in London.

The 23-year-old wants to take a break from serious competition after almost a decade on the international stage but will continue training and competing in smaller events.

"I'm not doing world trials or world champs next year, but I'll probably be doing more international racing next year than what I would be if I was doing the worlds," she told reporters in Australia yesterday.

"I'll probably look at doing World Cups, maybe a bit of Mare Nostrum, West Coast tour.

"Although I'm missing one major meet of the year, I'm actually probably doing more and in meets I've never done before."

2010 target

Jones said her first goal was to swim at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and her performances there would have a major bearing on whether she wanted to commit herself to another two years of training for London.

"The option is there now, whereas before there was absolutely no option to do it, it was just simply a big no," she said.

"Now it's back there again where I can choose and if in 2010 I'm swimming really well, it's only two years away.

"That's the addiction with swimmers, we get to 2010 and think it's only two more years. I'll re-assess then."

Jones burst on to the scene as a precocious teenager with two silver medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

She developed a reputation of choking under pressure after missing out on individual gold at the 2001 and 2003 world championships and 2004 Athens Olympics but the criticism ultimately drove her to greater success.

Jones won the 100 and 200 metres breaststroke double at the 2005 and 2007 world championships then claimed her first individual Olympic title in the 100 at Beijing.

She suffered a surprise loss in the 200 but picked up a third gold when Australia won the medley relay for the second time in a row.