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SYDNEY: Three-time Olympic champion Leisel Jones will spearhead Australia's team at FINA World Cup meets in Asia next month, Swimming Australia said on Friday.
Joining Jones on the Singapore and Tokyo legs of this year's World Cup will be Beijing Olympic bronze and silver medallist Hayden Stoeckel, Rachael Goh and national short course 50m freestyle champion Kyle Richardson.
Marieke Guehrer, who landed the single biggest payday in the history of Australian Swimming when she won the 2008 World Cup series, is also competing in the two Asian legs.
Twenty-five-year-old Jones, who took a swimming sabbatical last year, is making up for lost time after being nominated for every Australian team that is competing abroad this year.
The breaststroke star competed at last month's Pan Pacific Championships in California, where she won three silver medals and one bronze, and will also be contesting next month's New Delhi Commonwealth Games and the FINA World Short Course Championships in Dubai in December.
"After missing 2009 I'm looking to get racing fit again and cram as much quality competition in as I can," Jones said.
"I'm not particularly good at short course racing so doing the World Cup and World Short Course will allow me to practise and hone my skills in starts and turns.
"Also some of my best competitors will be contesting the World Cup and you want to be racing your most challenging competitors as often as you can in the lead up to 2012 London Olympics."
The Singapore leg will be held from October 16-17 followed by Tokyo on October 20-21.
-AFP/wk
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