Swimming: Rebel with a cause ready to relaunch chequered career

By MARK GEENTY

Jon Winter knows he is raising a few eyebrows by being at his third Games, let alone by claiming he can win a medal.

But the role as the venerable old man of the swim team sits comfortably with the 30-year-old after a chequered career, at times marred by clashes with officialdom and highlighted by a fascination with multi-coloured hair dye.

Winter, now coaching in Hastings with partner Rebecca Sutherland, lines up in the 50m butterfly tomorrow after coming out of a two-year retirement and meeting the qualifying standard in April.

"I thought Kuala Lumpur would be my last Games, but I decided about 10 months ago that I'd like another go," Winter said.

"If I didn't come back and have a go I knew I'd regret it, and I didn't want to live with that."

Regret is not something in the Winter psyche, although he admitted there were things he was not proud of.

His fondness for a good time would occasionally outweigh everything else.

At the Victoria Commonwealth Games in 1994 he had a much-publicised spat with coach Mark Bone after breaking team curfews.

He now presents himself as a more mature figure who relishes his role in this team.

"There are a lot of things I've learned from, but I believe it's better to regret something you did do than something you didn't do. I've done a lot of naughty stuff and some good stuff as well.

"People tell me I've mellowed a bit and I guess I have, even though I don't like to think so.

"I've learned from mistakes, but I'm still the same person. I've just got a lot more life experience and possibly am a bit more mature.

"I'm just trying to help these guys do the best that they can and the best that I can."

Winter was "cruising along" playing senior second XV rugby and swimming in masters competitions in Hastings last year when he decided to have another crack at the big time at the urging of Sutherland and fellow team veteran Toni Jeffs. He qualified at the national championships in April.

"Absolutely no one believed me, and it was even hard for me to fathom after such a short preparation."

Despite fronting up against a field including eight of the world's top-10 here - headed by world recordholder Geoff Huegill, of Australia - Winter believes he is capable of making a splash in the event.

"I feel because I'm not highly ranked I could be a bit of a dark horse. I'm very confident in myself.

"The hardest thing to do is make the final, then the medals are almost a lottery."

And not to disappoint, Winter will be sporting a new hairstyle.

Having gone green for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and at one time sporting red dreadlocks when he was sponsored by a hair salon, Winter will be slightly more conventional this time.

"I've got a few greys coming through so I thought I might go blond to cover them up."

Winter believes there is no reason he would not be at the Athens Olympics in 2004 with a good showing here.

- NZPA

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