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Swimming-Jones sets 100m breaststroke world record(Reuters)Updated: 2006-09-20 12:37 SYDNEY, Feb 3 - Leisel Jones broke her second world record in three days on Friday, setting a new 100 metres breaststroke mark at the Australian Commonwealth Games trials in Melbourne. Jones glided to victory in one minute 05.71 seconds, wiping nearly half a second off the previous record of 1:06.20 set by American Jessica Hardy at the 2005 world championships in Montreal. Jones, 20, slashed more than a second off her own 200m world record on Wednesday. "It has just been an incredible journey this week," she said in a televised interview. "It's been an absolute whirlwind, an incredible change for me. "I was pretty relaxed and just wanted to make the (Commonwealth Games) team but I have surprised myself." Jones has led the way in women's breaststroke since winning a silver medal in the 100m as a 15 year old at Sydney but didn't win an Olympic or world title for five years. She finished second in the 100m and third in the 200m at the 2001 world championships in Japan, then third in the 100m and second in the 200m at the 2003 competition in Barcelona. Jones went to Athens as world record holder in the 100m but had to settle for bronze, then took silver in the 200m. ATTITUDE CHANGE She won gold in the medley relay but was criticised for appearing less than enthusiastic when receiving her individual medals. Stung by the criticism, Jones made several changes in her personal and professional life, chopping her hair and splitting with long-time coach Ken Wood to join Stephan Widmar. Leaving Wood, who had started coaching her almost by accident when her mother worked as a cleaner at the Brisbane pool where he trained, was a particularly difficult move for Jones but the change paid dividends. She arrived in Montreal last year as favourite but seemed doomed to finish with another minor medal when Hardy broke her world record in the semi-finals of the 100m. However, she beat Hardy in the final to claim her first world title, then went on to win the 200m in a world record time. |
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