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Jones Aims To Freestyle Down To Rio

Feb 28, 2013  - Craig Lord

US sprinter Cullen Jones, 29 tomorrow, has opted to stay in the fray, telling a local publication that he has committed to a Rio 2016 Olympic campaign with coach David Marsh.

Jones, Olympic silver medallist in the 50m free and a double Olympic relay medallist (4x100m free, 2008; 4x100m medley, 2012), tells the Charlotte Observer today that he is “95 per cent sure” that he will stay in Charlotte all the way to Brazil, the 5 per cent doubt held in case Marsh should decide too move on. Jones would follow.

“I’m half in and half out of the water right now,” said Jones, of SwimMAC Carolina’s elite team and ambassador for the USA Swimming Splash programme that aims to improve awareness of and safety in water and reduce relatively high drowning rates among minority communities in the US. After Beijing 2008, Jones packed on 20lbs during his down time. This time round, he's stayed leaner, he tells the paper. 

Asked about retirement, Jones said: “I did consider the retirement question. It was one of those things where 'I’ve done it and do I want to do this again?' I know how much it took for me to get everything together to have that near-perfect year for me in 2012. I did definitely wrestle with it. But I remember how it felt to be that fast and I want to do that again.”

Marsh has no doubts that his charge can do it all again, telling the Observer: “There’s a lot more in the tank for Cullen. When he gets engaged, there’s nobody better."

Read the Observer article in full.