Bring on Delhi

21 September, 2010

I'm about to start packing my bags for Delhi.  It's hard to believe this season started over a year ago and now I'm just a day away from joining my English friends heading to my first Commonwealth Games.

I'm really looking forward to representing England for the first time in a major international event, though I must admit I see myself first and foremost as British and will be just as happy to see some of my British swimming team-mates winning medals for Wales and Scotland..behind the English swimmers of course!!! 

It's going to be a little weird, especially in the 4x200 relay which I've always only raced with four other swimmers since I first started swimming the relay for GB in 2008.  Of those four, Caitlin McLatchey and Hannah Miley will be swimming for Scotland, Jaz Carlin for Wales and Jo Jackson will be in the English relay with me.

I'm also racing my three main individual events, the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle.  It'd be amazing to see a whole field of British swimmers in the final of one of those events!  The Commonwealth Games are a great opportunity for British swimmers to do well given the depth of swimmers we'll have representing the home nations.

Other than the swimming, I'm really looking forward to being back in the environment of an Athlete's Village in Delhi.  It's great to walk around the Village and everywhere you look are athletes, with everyone you see having some kind of connection with the Games.  Going to meals and walking around the Village and meeting athletes from all sports and all different countries is such a great experience.  I loved it in Beijing and I'm sure the Athlete's Village in Delhi will be just as good.

So, bring on the Commonwealth Games!  We have a training camp in Doha first and then fly in to Delhi a couple of days before the competition starts.  Our team is looking really strong and we're hoping we can contribute to England's best ever overall Commonwealth Games result.