Mark Lewis-Francis loses funding

Former Olympic 100 metres relay champion Mark Lewis-Francis has had his lottery funding withdrawn by UK Athletics.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

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.

UKA head coach Charles van Commenee said: "The criteria and selection process has been redeveloped 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.

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

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