TWO-time Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington has backed Grimsby's Kate Haywood to repeat her Commonwealth Games heroics at the London 2012 Olympics.

Haywood revealed she will now wave goodbye to England in the run-up to London 2012, instead heading to Australia to train alongside Beijing 100m breaststroke gold medallist Leisel Jones.

The former Louth Dolphin produced an amazing comeback at the Delhi Games, grabbing three medals in a competition she hadn't even planned to be at after only returning to the pool in January from a hip operation.

Haywood defied the odds in the Indian capital with 50 and 100m breaststroke bronze before making it a triple celebration with 4x100m medley silver.

And despite claiming 400m and 800m freestyle gold in Delhi, Adlington believed it was Haywood, not herself, who was the star of the show.

"What Kate did in Delhi was remarkable because she has had her injury trouble and she just took to the water without that in her head somehow and managed to block it all out," said Adlington, speaking at the London 2012 Olympic Park, as part of the Cadbury's Spots v Stripes campaign.

"That wasn't easy at all, she thoroughly deserved to come back with a medal.

"It is never easy to come back from a bad injury because it is always in your mind that it could happen again at any point. But Kate has put that aside and just given her all and has gone for it and it has paid off.

"I think she is a great example to up and coming swimmers because she demonstrated the attitude you need to have after the disappointment of the Europeans.

"She didn't let that affect her and she went out there determined to prove a point and she did just that.

"I think the Delhi experience will prove to be so good for her because even though she has been to so many major championships before she really proved a point with this one and showed character to put everything out of her mind and just get on with the job in hand."

Haywood will now relocate to Australia to step up her training. Adlington believes her Down Under switch will be just the move she needs.

"It will be a new environment for her and I am convinced it will work in her favour," she added.

"It will perhaps be a bit of a fresh start that she needs to put recent disappointments behind her and she will be better for it.

"And if she takes what she has done in this week at the Commonwealth Games and keeps demonstrating that same attitude and new-found belief then London 2012 will be good for her I am sure."

Rebecca Adlington is supporting Spots v Stripes, Cadbury's campaign to get the nation playing in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For more information visit www.spotsvstripes.com