Do they ever come back? That was the question posed when Shane Gould said she would take a break back in 1972/73 after winning a record five Olympic solo medals, three of them gold, at Munich 1972. The question has reverberated down the years for many a generation since. Now, Leisel Jones, Olympic 100m breaststroke champion, tells us that she will give Rome 2009 a miss. 

She adds that she has no plans to retire - and even goes as far as to say that the break may prolong her career and make it more likely that London 2012 will feature in her plans. Beijing marked the lifting of a huge weight off the Australian's shoulders: she had been world record holder, world champion and Commonwealth champion in the wake of winning silver as a 15-year-old at a home Games in Sydney but Olympic gold remained elusive in 2004. Victory in the 100m in Beijing completed the collection of trophies. 

At 23, she says that she plans to take a break from major international swimming in 2009. She will race at smaller meets and low-pressure internationals such as the Mare Nostrum. 

Asked by reporters today if she was considering retirement, Jones said: "Certainly not. What people might forget is 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. So I'll probably look at doing (smaller meets like) world cups, maybe a bit of Mare Nostrum, West Coast tour."

Jones said that while she initially thought there was no chance she would still be swimming up to the 2012 London Olympics, her revamped scheduling may prolong her career and put London back on the agenda.

"The option is there now where I can choose and if in 2010 I'm swimming really well, it's (Olympics) only two years away. I'll re-assess then," said Jones.