“Baby” of Aussie Team Turns 15

By Janelle Miles and Will Swanton, AAP

BRISBANE, Sept. 1. LEISEL Jones, the baby of the Australian Olympic swimming team was presented with a memento money can't buy for her 15th birthday on
Wednesday. She was given a signed card by her 43 team mates including the likes of Kieren Perkins, Susie O'Neill and Ian Thorpe – all signatures highly sought after by professional autograph hunters.

Australian team media manager Ian Hanson said security guards had been hired for the swimmers during their two-week training camp in Melbourne to ensure they were not overwhelmed by autograph seekers. "We've had the security people living with us and eating with us," Hanson said.

"They're blending in as part of the team. We feel good that these guys are there to protect us. "They're aware certainly of professional autograph people who target the stars of Australian sport."

The security guards shadow high profile swimmers like Jones, Perkins and Thorpe on shopping excurions and trips to the movies to ensure they're not hassled.
While Jones is yet to reach the heights of Perkins or Thorpe, she's become a media darling since making the Olympic team in the 100m breaststroke three months ago.

Jones is ranked eighth on times going into the Games but her level of improvement is such that Australian head coach Don Talbot believes she has the talent to be one of the "bolters". "You always look for somebody who is turned on by the magic of the Olympics," Talbot said. "We've had in past years – and I've coached people like this – Gail Neall at the `72 Olympics who wasn't ranked in the first 150 in the world in the
400m individual medley and she won the event."
"Beverly Whitfield won the gold medal in the 200 breast and was not ranked in the top 50 in the world. "There are many, but I just happen to remember those because they were mine at the time and I coached them.

"You don't know who's going to make the jump for you.
"I go away and dream about it, that young Leisel Jones is going to get up and do something or Justin Norris will get up and go or Heath Ramsey in the fly. "I think gee, these kids might do that."

Jones was given the morning off training for her birthday today. She'll become Australia's first 15-year-old Olympic swimming medalist since Shane Gould if she can place in the 100m breaststroke or the medley
relay in Sydney. Gould was 15 years and nine months when she won her three gold, one silver and one bronze medal in Munich in 1972.

Australia's youngest Olympic swimming gold medalist was 14-year-old Sandra Morgan, who won gold with Dawn Fraser, Lorraine Crapp and Faith Leech as part of the 4x100m freestyle relay in `56. The `56 swimming team won eight gold medals, a tally the Australians have a
chance of equaling in Sydney.

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