Double Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington will swim for England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

World champions Liam Tancock, who holds the 50m backstroke world record, and Gemma Spofforth have also been selected in the 29-strong squad.

Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, 16, has earned a first call-up after switching her sporting nationality from Kenya.

There have been security concerns over the Games, which run from 3-14 October, after terror attacks in the region.

These fears, combined with training programmes aimed at peaking for London 2012, has led some athletes - including heptathlete Jessica Ennis, triple jumper Phillips Idowu and world gymnastics champ Beth Tweddle - to declare they will not be going to Delhi.

More than 8,000 athletes from 71 nations, however, are expected to attend, including all of England's top swimmers.

They will be looking to improve on their record of eight gold medals, 11 silvers and four bronzes at Melbourne in 2006 where only Australia performed better in the pool.

606: DEBATE It won't be until Delhi that an accurate assertion can be made on the progress of British Swimming vis-a-vis the world powerhouses CaliSurfin

World silver medallist Jo Jackson is named in the squad, despite fears she might have to write off the 2010 season because of problems caused to her winter training programme as her asthma condition worsened.

Adlington appears to be back to her best after a dip in form following her Beijing heroics, and grabbed a hat-trick of titles at the British trials in Sheffield last month.

Ajulu-Bushell impressed at the British trials where she won the women's 50m and 100m breaststroke double. She represented Kenya in the 2009 World Championships, but decided to switch nationalities soon afterwards.

The teenager, who was born in Manchester to an English mother and Kenyan father, moved to Africa as a child before returning in September 2007 and enrolling at Plymouth College, where she is a class-mate of diving world champion Tom Daley.

England's team also includes Simon Burnett and Ross Davenport, who each won two gold medals in Melbourne.

A further 13 swimmers will be added to the 29 already named after two more qualification events in August.

Unlike the Olympic Games, where Britain competes under the Team GB banner, there are separate teams for England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales at the Commonwealths.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version