Editing Leisel Jones (section)

===2000 Olympics===
Jones swam a personal best in the final at the [[Sydney Olympics]] to claim an unexpected silver medal behind American [[Megan Quann]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://static.espn.go.com/oly/summer00/swimming/index.html |title=ESPN Sydney Swimming |access-date=13 March 2009}}</ref> She also combined with [[Dyana Calub]], [[Petria Thomas]] and [[Susie O'Neill]] in the 4×100-metre medley relay to win silver, again behind the Americans.  Jones left school aged 15 to concentrate on swimming.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2007/05/10/1919431.htm |title=Leisel Jones takes on Year 8s |publisher=ABC Online |access-date=10 March 2009}}</ref>

At the [[2001 World Aquatics Championships]] in Fukuoka, Japan, Jones was now one of the established swimmers and expected to win medals. She finished second to China's [[Luo Xuejuan]]. The competition also marked her international debut in the 200-metre breaststroke, where she came fourth place (2:25.46).  She also collected a gold in the medley relay alongside Calub, Thomas and [[Sarah Ryan]], the first time that the US women had been beaten at world or Olympic level in this event, excluding the systemically doped East German and Chinese teams.

In 2002, Jones claimed her first titles on the international arena, claiming the breaststroke double at the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]] in Manchester, England.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/commonwealthgames2002/bsp/statistics/results.stm |title=BBC Sport Commonwealth Games 2002 Statistics |access-date=29 August 2007 | work=BBC News}}</ref> Australia also won the medley relay.

In 2003, Jones set an Australian record in the 200-metre individual medley earlier in the year, in an experimental event.  Later at the [[2003 World Aquatics Championships]] in Barcelona, Spain, she started setting a world record in the semifinals of the 100-metre breaststroke (1:06.37).  However, she succumbed to nerves in the final and came third, with Luo again winning the event.  She also achieved a silver in the 200-metre breaststroke in Barcelona, behind [[Amanda Beard]] in (2:24.33).  She collected a bronze in the medley relay.

In the month leading up to the [[2004 Summer Olympics|Athens Olympics]], Jones set a world record (2:22.96) in the 200-metre breaststroke in a meet in Brisbane, Australia.  This led to high expectations of an even better performance in Athens, as Jones had not been rested prior to swimming the world record.  However, it was reclaimed by Beard at the US Olympic trials only a few days later.