Australian team chief slams Leisel jibes

Australian team chief Nick Green Wednesday lashed a report questioning the fitness of triple Olympic gold medallist Leisel Jones as disgraceful and unfair ahead of this week's London Games. The Sydney Morning Herald carried unflattering photos of the 26-year-old former world breaststroke record holder implying that she was not in her best shape and was not taking her fourth Olympics in London seriously. Green opened the daily Australian team press conference Wednesday by criticising the article. "I think (the article) is disgraceful, to be honest. I'm disappointed with the article and I think it is extremely unfair on Leisel Jones and the work she has done for the country at this level," he said. "She is a triple Olympic gold medallist, a winner of eight medals for this country. I think she deserves a lot more respect than she was given." Green, at his first Olympics as Australian team chef de mission, said there was "unanimous support" for Jones from fellow competitors and other athletes. He said it was unfair that Jones had been targeted in this fashion in the newspaper article on the eve of an fourth historic Games appearance. Leisel, nicknamed "Lethal", will become the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Olympic Games over the coming week. "I think you have to respect that athletes spend four years to get to this occasion and athletes come in different shapes and sizes. It's your performance and your preparation leading to the performance which is absolutely paramount," he said. "This is the athletes' golden opportunity, they get this once every four years. Athletes don't go to the Olympic Games for a holiday, they just don't. "Leisel is a superb athlete. She is a triple Olympic gold medallist and she has won eight medals over four Olympic Games for this country. "She knows what she is doing and she's preparing the right way and everyone in the team supports her 100 percent." Her coach, Michael Bohl, said Jones was in good condition and London was anything but her farewell tour. "She's a different sort of athlete. She's not a 14 or 15-year-old girl who is doing 10 really hard sessions a week," Bohl told the Herald. "She's probably at the end of her swimming career. She's been doing nine sessions a week, and two gym sessions a week coming into this, and we were really happy with her form. "She has won eight Olympic medals and has a great track record of doing well. She was an Olympic medallist at 14. She has done well to last as long as she has in the sport."