Plastic Brits are cashing in (...but there's no Lottery money for the likes of Kelly)
By Neil Wilson
Five athletes dubbed ‘plastic Brits’ by their critics will have their Olympic campaigns funded by the National Lottery while British-born contenders have been dropped 10 months from the Games.
Charles van Commenee, Britain’s Dutch-born head coach, proclaimed a ‘results-driven business’ when he cut Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton, double Commonwealth gold medallist Leon Baptiste and last year’s European medallist Martyn Bernard among a funding cull of 34.
But brought on board for the first time are Yamile Aldama, Shana Cox, Shara Proctor and Julian Reid, all of whom became eligible to compete for Britain only this year. They join Tiffany Porter, who switched from the US to Britain last year.
SHANA COX(born/lives Long Island, US)
Aged 26, the 400 metres runner’s parents are both British and she has been eligible from this year. Former US high school indoor record-holder.
SHARA PROCTOR
(born Anguilla, lives US)
(born Anguilla, lives US)
Aged 23, the long jumper became eligible this year because the Caribbean island of Anguilla is a British dependent territory so she is entitled to a British passport.
World Class Performance Programme packages, given to athletes in the top funding band, are worth around £70,000 a year in living expenses, medical support, travel costs and use of high performance centres.
TIFFANY PORTER(born/lives Michigan, US)
Aged 23, 100m hurdler eligible this year. Father Nigerian, mother English. Broke Angie Thorp’s 15-year GB record in May, fourth in Daegu, lowering record to 12.56.
YAMILE ALDAMA
(born Cuba, lives London)
(born Cuba, lives London)
Aged 39, the triple jumper married a Scot in 2001 and has been eligible since 2010. Finished fifth in August at World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.
World champions Dai Greene and Mo Farah, and former world champions Jessica Ennis and Phillips Idowu, are entitled to that level of funding. Now Aldama and Porter will be too as they finished in the top five at this year’s World Championships and are rated potential Olympic medallists.
Sentiment does not come into it for Van Commenee. He coached Sotherton to her 2004 Olympic heptathlon bronze but told Radio 5 Live: ‘Personal feelings are not relevant. The main criterion needed is that they have a strong chance to make the top eight in the Olympic Games, and given the development of Kelly’s performances in the last couple of years it doesn’t appear she can.’
Going it alone: Kelly Sotherton has been stripped of her Lottery funding
Sotherton vowed to carry on, tweeting: ‘Nothing changes! Goals are still the same! I’m the master of my own destiny.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2050242/Plastic-Brits-given-Lottery-funding-British-athletes.html#ixzz1oZ3UnoMS
