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New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS) Unfazed by the controversies surrounding the Commonwealth Games, champion swimmers Ashley Callus of Australia and England's Jenna Randall have said they will definitely travel to New Delhi and the problems there have not had a negative impact on them.
The decision by the champion swimmers come on a day when two Australian athletes withdrew from the Oct 3-14 Games citing health and security concerns.
'There is excitement because I am heading to my fourth Commonwealth Games, but there is also anxiousness to see what it is actually like over there,' Callus was quoted as saying by The Courier Mail.
'They keep us updated on security issues and how the Games Village is coming along and with this information everyone can make informed decisions.'
'For me, personally, the events in Delhi have not impacted on my motivation or want to go and compete. I am 110 per cent ready to rock 'n' roll,' said the 31-year-old who won a gold medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and a bronze at 2008 Beijing edition.
English medal hope at the Games Jenna Randall insisted reports from Delhi have not put ff her preparations as she bids to further raise the profile of synchronised swimming.
The 21-year-old will leave for her training base in Doha Monday and will head to Delhi from there.
Randall, who will compete in Delhi alongside long-time duet partner Olivia Allison, remains committed to the English cause. She is determined to not only travel to India but also improve on the silver she won in Melbourne four years ago.
'I am just concentrating on training and trying to get the best out of the time before the Commonwealth Games, because we leave Monday,' Randall told Eurosport.
'We are focusing on training and putting in our best performance at the Games. Everything else is out of our hands. We just have to concentrate on what we do.'
The next step on Randall's career path will be to go one better than 2006 and claim gold at the Commonwealth Games next month. And, after that, an Olympic medal.
'The Commonwealth Games are definitely a stepping stone to Olympic glory,' she said.'It is a major competition for us and every competition is great for us to go out there and improve Great Britain's reputation in synchronised swimming.'
Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 teams are expected to attend the Commonwealth Games, India's biggest sporting event since the 1982 Asian Games.
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