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Aussie press trying to derail my Olympics: Perec
SYDNEY, Sept 13 (AFP) - French sprint queen Marie-Jose Perec has launched a blistering attack on the Australian media, accusing the host nation's press of trying to scupper her Olympic campaign. Perec, the reigning Olympic champion in the 200 and 400 metres, has been subjected to a media blitz since her arrival in Sydney and said she feels like a prisoner in her hotel room. The Guadeloupe-born runner is poised for a battle royale when she attempts to defend her 400m crown against Australia's golden girl Cathy Freeman, the darling of the local media. But the close attention of reporters has infuriated Perec. "The Australian press doesn't leave me alone. They spread rumours, attack me gratuitously and peddle gossip," Perec fumed in a statement on her official website. "I've been here three days and I haven't trained because they haven't left me alone," she said. "I have the impression that it's all being done to try and destabilise me. It's crazy and I've never seen anything like it. "I don't know what I'm going to do about it because journalists follow me everywhere I go. The other day I nearly had an accident in the car I was travelling in," she added. Perec insists she won't be affected by the media glare. "Fortunately I have trained really well for three weeks before coming here and I'm very well prepared," she said. Reports on Tuesday said Perec was preparing to check out of her luxury Sydney hotel and move into the athletes village to escape the spotlight. The 32-year-old has refused all interview requests since arriving and The Australian newspaper, quoting sources, said the attention was becoming too much. There had been doubt whether Perec, who completed the 200-400m double in Atlanta four years ago, would even turn up in Sydney. Perec, who also won the 400m in Barcelona in 1992, has has been racked by injury having been diagnosed shortly after the 1996 Games with the strength-sapping Epstein-Barr syndrome and has barely raced since.
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