LEISEL JONES BIOGRAPHY
BASED SYDNEY
Leisel Jones will go down in the history books as one of Australia’s greatest swimmers. It is easy to see why when you begin to count fourteen individual world records, nine Olympic medals, which include three gold, five silver and one bronze. Add to this seven World Championships titles, ten Commonwealth Games Gold medals and twenty-three national titles.
While her medals and world record swims speak for themselves these days Leisel is driven by a different world changing pursuit. As an author and professional speaker, her mission is to share principles of truth, Integrity, and authenticity in life and business. In stepping out of the pool, she is instead ‘diving into truth’.
A young Leisel was only 14 years of age when her life changed forever as the youngest member of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Swimming Team and the youngest ever Olympic medalist in Australia’s history.
While winning two silver medals at the Sydney 2000 Olympics (100 m Breaststroke and the 4x100m Medley Relay) was a dream come true. What Leisel may not have realised at the time was how ‘instant fame’ would create a ‘media mould’ for her life in years to come. While only a few people knew the real Leisel, what she said, how she felt, and most notably how she looked became public property.
In the following years, Leisel continued to play out the role of Australia’s golden girl. Leisel brought home medals in every shade and set new world records. At London in 2012, she made her way into the history books becoming the only Australian to compete in four Olympics games.
These wins did not come with without controversy and pain as Leisel was forced to go through all of the regular ups and downs of puberty under the scornful eye of Australian media. Cloaked in the illusion of ‘Olympic fame’ she suffered anxiety, depression and any cracks in her armor were on public display. Through these experiences, Leisel transformed her determination from the pool, into a determination to change the world. She did this by raising awareness of issues faced by young people most significantly in regards to body image and confidence.
This passion led Leisel to write her first autobiography in 2015 titled Body Lengths. Body Lengths is a personal memoir candidly describing what it’s like to be thrust into the limelight at such a young age, along with all the pressure of public perception and social stigma.
With first-hand experience in dealing with media, Leisel has acted as a Foxtel Ambassador for both the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and the 2012 London Olympic Games. As a passionate philanthropist, she has featured in documentaries such as the WSPA documentary “Changing Views of Africa”, and acts as an ambassador for Headspace.
She has also received a comprehensive list of high profile awards including The Confederation of Australia 2005 and 2006 Australian Female Athlete, 2005 World Female Swimmer of the Year, 2006 Suncorp Metway Young Queenslander of the Year, 2006 Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards (Most Popular Sports Person), and the Australian public voted her the 2006 Telstra People’s Choice Award.
As a speaker, Leisel is real and shares an authentic personal journey where lessons from the pool are seamlessly transformed into lessons of life. Onstage, she is charismatic, elegant and fills the room with laughter, warmth and a matter of fact delivery on what it means to live with the truth.