Australia's world champion discus thrower Dani Samuels today pulled out of the controversy-marred Delhi Commonwealth Games citing health and security concerns.
The 22-year-old decided to opt out of the event following a gun attack on two tourists near Jama Masjid in Delhi on Sunday and the recent outbreak of dengue fever in the capital.
"Dani is extremely distressed about it all," Samuels' manager Hayden Knowles was quoted as saying by The Australian Associated Press.
"The situation in Delhi has been bothering her for some time. But the events over the weekend made it real. She had prepared her whole season around winning this thing, she even knocked back some Diamond League meets because it affected her training.
"She called me last night and then met with her coach and she couldn't even bring herself to train because she felt so bad. Her decision to pull out was a shock to us, but in a way it wasn't that much of a shock because we knew something was wrong. She was hiding it and then it all got too much for her. She was in tears when she told us," the coach added.
She, who won the gold medal at the World Championships in Berlin last summer, became the first Australian to pull out over security fears.
Samuels' pullout is another blow to the event, which has been marred by allegations of corruption and delay in infrastructure construction.
The attack on a a tourist bus near Jama Masjid has only added to the chaotic build-up to the Games, which would be missing the star power of some top international athletes such as Jamaican sprint stars Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell among others.
