Lewis-Francis suffers funding cut by new athletics chief

Mark Lewis-Francis is part of 20 per cent of British athletes who will have their lottery funding cut as part of the new regime under athletics chief Charles van Commenee.

The Thames Valley Atheltics Centre-based sprinter has been dropped from the highest tier of funding and will now recieve only basic support.

The Langley resident was one of the UK's most talked about 100m sprinters when he burst onto the scene, but he has yet to fulfil his promise despite being part of 4x100m relay gold medal winning quartet at Athens 2004.

Lewis-Francis, who is trained by Slough's Tony Lester, missed out on the Beijing Olympics due to an achilles injury.

However, he is among 10 athletes who will receive discretionary awards as part of the men and women's sprint relay squads who will need to improve on their dismal performances in Beijing, where both teams failed to get the baton round.

Van Commenee's decision to concentrate more money on fewer athletes has been welcomed at UK Sport.

Of the 33 athletes named on the podium programme of Lottery support, only six are deemed worthy of the top level of funding.

Among them is Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow's 400m star Nicola Sanders.

She by fellow medallists from Beijing and last year's World Championships in Osaka – Christine Ohuruogu, Phillips Idowu, Germaine Mason, Tasha Danvers and Kelly Sotherton.

Their benefits will include an annual personal award of up to £25,383, although athletes already earning more than £56,000 a year will receive less.