Lottery funding loss a blow for Lewis-Francis

Published on Tuesday 27 October 2009 21:05

FORMER Olympic 100 metres relay champion Mark Lewis-Francis has had his lottery funding withdrawn by UK Athletics.

The 27-year-old Walsall-born sprinter, a member of Great Britain's gold-medal winning quartet in Athens in 2004, is not among the athletes invited on to the World Class Performance Programme for the 2009/2010 season.

Lewis-Francis, a former world junior champion, missed the entire 2008 season, including the Beijing Olympics, with an Achilles tendon injury. He was not selected for the GB team for the World Championships in Berlin in the summer.

There is also no place on the funding programme for Welsh sprinter Christian Malcolm, who finished fifth in the Olympic 200m final in 2004 and 2008.

Wakefield-born high jumper Martyn Bernard, who won silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and Colchester's 100m hurdler Sarah Claxton, joint-second on the British all-time list alongside heptathlete Jessica Ennis, have also had their funding withdrawn.

Wigan runner Jenny Meadows has been rewarded for her 800m bronze medal in Berlin by having her funding upgraded from development to podium level.

Only five Scots are on the world-class funding list for 2010, with Lee McConnell surviving the axe despite a disappointing summer. The European medallist keeps her spot within the elite podium grouping as part of the 400 metres relay pool, and is joined in the top tier of supported performers by Paralympic silver medal-winning sprinter, Libby Clegg.

Young trio Eilidh Child, Claire Gibson and Steph Twell have all been placed on the lower-tier development programme after making a mark on the fringes of the senior ranks during 2009.

UKA head coach Charles van Commenee said: "The criteria and selection process has been re-developed to be much clearer and more transparent for all involved and I am confident it has produced a crop of athletes who will deliver to the aims of the programme, namely success on the global stage.

"What is really significant is that the number of podium athletes has increased dramatically, these athletes are put on to this level of funding as a direct result of their performances over the last 18 months, which clearly demonstrates increased levels of world class performance – a clear indication of the impact our lottery funding is having.

"With these athletes available for international team selection, 2010 with World Indoors, European Team Championships and European Championships is certainly something to look forward to where we can build on the progress of 2009."