The breaststroke dynamo pulled off the unprecedented move after spanking her opposition off minimal training in the 100m at the national titles last night.

It had been thought the 23-year-old was coming around to the idea of calling off her sabbatical.

But after touching the wall in 1min 6.10secs a time that would have comfortably won last year's Beijing Olympics she told the crowd she was sitting out Rome.

The triple Olympic gold medallist said it was a tough decision but that her form in Sydney had shown she still had the goods in the pool.

''It is really really hard,'' she said. ''It is a tough decision to make even filling out a form to say that I am not eligible.

''But I am really committed to beauty school and I do really want to finish it.

''I really want to have that diploma when I finish and I do not want to be left with nothing when I finish just for the sake of doing this team.

''It is hard to commit to give 100 per cent to both, they are both really tiring and both a lot of hard work.''

Jones said she was still passionate about competing at next year's Delhi Commonwealth Games.

''I have done the sessions where I have thrown up, the sessions where I have cried,'' she said.

''I have really had that instilled in me so I don't have to do as much.

''I have got that engine and I just have to do some fine tuning.''

Libby Trickett (24.23s) bounced back from her flop in the 100m butterfly with a comprehensive win in the 50m freestyle with Cate Campbell (24.70) booking a spot on the team. Sixteen-year-old Campbell has been battling with her ongoing hip injury but said surgery would have to wait until after Rome.

Andrew Lauterstein (51.13) recovered from a rough Friday night to destroy his rivals in the 100m butterfly.

''The doctors were saying my blood pressure got up pretty high,'' he said.