The chaos and drama around the Delhi Commonwealth Games does not make Australia's world champion discus thrower Dani Samuels jittery as she claims to have seen it elsewhere as well and considers herself tough enough to compete in even leaking stadiums.
"No matter how the roads, tourist hotspots or garden beds look around Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium come October, my only concern is throwing well enough to win a Commonwealth Games gold inside it. It's what my entire training program has been geared towards these past 12 months," Samuel wrote in a column for The Daily Telegraph.
"(It) doesn't mean I'm not up to speed on all of the dramas plaguing these 2010 Commonwealth Games. But put simply, I believe 100 per cent in the security measures we have protecting this team. Believe that, if the safety of every Australian athlete cannot be ensured come October, none of us will be going anywhere," the 23-year-old, who is the youngest ever female world champion in discus throw, said.
Samuels said she has been reading the negative reports that have appeared about the October 3 to 14 Games but is ready for any challenge that might come up in Delhi.
"As for Delhi stadiums lagging, leaking and falling apart? Bulletproof. Suggestions of Aussie boycotts? Bulletproof. And the fact no one can even find Shera the Games mascot? Yes, bulletproof," she quipped.
"Being 'bulletproof' is watching an excited Moroccan official remove the plastic cover from perhaps the only weights bench in his city. Shrugging when I ask about the missing barbell. Shrugging again on the whereabouts of any weights.
"Just smiling excitedly and motioning that yes, yes, yes, I can now begin my workout," she recalled.
"Being bulletproof is also doing cardio in a Swedish hotel corridor. Arriving in Paris to discover there isn't a throwing cage anywhere. And heading out for competition at the World Youth Championships as an official dusts off the concrete circle with a giant palm leaf," Samuels revealed.
Samuels said she would not complain about facilities as all host cities have their problems.
"All these events - and the catchphrase my coach Denis Knowles is forever using to combat them - is exactly how I'm staying focused among all the chaos and rubble that comprise what is increasingly being dubbed the Shame Games," she said.
"Which is why, after reading the latest negative newspaper headline, I toss the sports section aside to focus solely on those things I can control. Like making sure every powerclean done inside the gym is explosive, finishing with me right up on my toes," she added.
