Schipper fires coach over rival

SYDNEY: Australian swimmer Jessicah Schipper has dumped her longtime coach after he sold a training program to a rival competitor who beat her at the Beijing Olympics.

Schipper went into the Games as favorite to win the women's 200m butterfly but finished third behind China's Liu Zige, who had been receiving help from Schipper's coach Ken Wood.

Liu, who also smashed Schipper's world record to win gold in Beijing, was invited to train alongside the Australian this year and bought a training schedule off Wood to prepare for the Olympics.