Page-Turner: Body Lengths by Leisel Jones

This is one of those books I read in just one day.

You’ll be hooked from the very beginning as you delve into the world of competitive swimming from the perspective of Leisel Jones (with writer Felicity McLean). For those unfamiliar with Jones’ story, she became a legend when aged just 15 she won 2 silver medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. She’s also won gold at the Athens and Beijing Olympics and at the London 2012 Olympics she became the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Olympics.

But her story goes far beyond her Olympic successes. The book details with honesty the struggles of a young girl suddenly thrust into the spotlight of a country obsessed with swimming, and a world intrigued by such a young Olympian.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the book is the discussion of mental health and the impact such a high intensity lifestyle had on Jones. Often Olympians are regarded as being the epitome of health and wellbeing, but Jones tells of the unique pressures and immense expectations placed on young, vulnerable people who are simply desperate to win. This is an important conversation that is often left out in a haze of glory and national pride.

Body Lengths provides an insiders perspective of the politics of the swimming world; the dependence on drugs like Stillnox, the bullying among team mates and the extreme dieting that is too often the norm.

In reading this book you experience the successes and failures of Jones’ career and see the evolution of a young girl who qualified for the Olympic Games… and whose life was forever changed.

The fine print 

“Body Lengths” by Leisel Jones, with Felicity McLean

Published by Penguin Books Australia

$29.99