Athletics: Kilty threatens to walk away from UK after London rejection

SPRINTER Richard Kilty last night launched an extraordinary attack on UK Athletics after losing his appeal against his non-selection for the Olympic team, claiming that he wanted nothing more to do with the governing body and would look at competing for Ireland in future.

The 22-year-old yesterday received the news he had lost his appeal against his omission from the 200 metres at the London Games.

The Linford Christie-trained athlete branded the governing body “unprofessional” for not telling him the reason the appeal failed and claimed he would prove their decision wrong this summer.

Speaking to BBC Tees Sport, he said: “When I got the call [from Ed Warner, chairman of UK Athletics and the chairman of the appeals panel] it flattened me, confused me, but now I have fire in my belly.

“When the Olympics are on I guarantee I am going to be abroad running faster than every member in the British team just to rub it in their faces.

“I don’t want an answer from them [UKA]. I want to give them an answer, a reason why they should have selected me. I have lost a lot of hope in UK Athletics now.

“I have ancestors from Ireland and that’s a route I may go down, to compete for another country.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was ten years old to compete in a home Olympics. I feel let down by my governing body.”

Kilty, who claimed he would be “staying as far from a TV as possible” during the Olympics, was bidding to get the third and final 200m spot available.

He has run the ‘A’ qualifying standard this year and is ranked third in Britain over the distance this season, although he has run quicker than James Ellington, whose win in the trials in Birmingham sealed his place on the team.

Kilty also ran the ‘A’ standard last year, but performed poorly at the trials, finishing last in the final after suffering from hamstring cramps.

He added: “It [the failed appeal] was a massive surprise. I’ve worked very hard this year, I truly expected I was going. I was 100 per cent certain I was going to get the third spot.

“I got a call off Ed Warner. It was a really short phone call, he just said ‘you’ve lost your appeal’.

“I expected a call to say I had won the appeal.

“[There was] not one reason which I think is really unprofessional. They are the governing body in this country and they didn’t give me one reason why I was not selected.”

UK confirmed that all athletes – there were 11 appeals in total with only 800m runner Gareth Warburton’s successful – were called personally by Warner as soon as the appeal meeting had broken up.

Warner did not go into detail regarding the reasons why their appeals were turned down because he said he wanted to inform all athletes of the decisions as quickly as possible and they were due to receive the full judgement by email from the independent adjudicator.