Ten Welsh Athletes will receive the top level of funding as announced by UKA earlier this morning. Olympians Dai Greene, Christian Malcolm and Brett Morse are all included in the World Class Performance Programme Podium list, together with Paralympians Aled Davies, Kyron Duke, Beverley Jones, Jenny McLoughlin, Josie Pearson, Nathan Stephens and Claire Williams.
The WCPP selections, across both Olympic and Paralympic programmes, categorise the athletes into two levels of support; Podium and Podium Potential with both groups delivering against UK Sport funding requirements and strict performance targets.
The podium level identifies both individuals and relay squads with genuine potential to medal in 2016, whilst the potential level provides support to athletes who are considered to have a greater chance of medalling in 2020.
The focus on achieving medal success at World and Olympic level is in contrast to the broader selection criteria of the previous four year cycle where athletes were selected to the programme on the basis of potential to deliver a top eight finish.
UKA Performance Director Neil Black said:
“Being part of the World Class Performance Plan is a privilege and not a right and athletes selected will be expected to fulfill tough performance criteria. We have identified a very talented group of athletes for support over the coming year and I am confident that we can build on the success of the last Olympic and Paralympic cycle starting with the European Indoors in Gothenburg in March.
“Accountability is at the heart of this programme and athletes who have not met performance criteria over the last year will not receive continued support. It is undoubtedly tough, but that is performance sport.”
“I’d like to thank UK Sport and the National Lottery for their ongoing commitment to elite sport. This public investment ensures our athletes are among the best prepared and best supported in the world.”
UKA Paralympic Head Coach Peter Eriksson said: “We have had to take a number of difficult decisions in this funding cycle, but this is the strongest group of athletes we have selected to the Paralympic Programme since I arrived in 2009. We had an outstanding Paralympic Games in London and our focus is now on bettering that in four years time.”
The full lists of athletes are as follows:
Podium WCCP
Atheltes identified with * are supported on the basis of their potential to medal as part of a relay team.
Ola Abidogun (Stephen Thomas), *Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Rana Reider), Yamile Aldama (Frank Attoh), Hollie Arnold (Anthony Hughes), Graeme Ballard (Stephen Thomas), *Michael Bingham (Scott Hall), Paul Blake (Rob Ellchuk), Holly Bleasdale (Dan Pfaff), Julia Bleasdale (Nic Bideau), Sally Brown (Philip Tweedie), *Richard Buck (Steve Fudge), Mickey Bushell (Fred Periac), *Eilidh Child (Malcolm Arnold), *Chris Clarke (Steve Fudge), Lawrence Clarke (Malcolm Arnold), Libby Clegg (Keith Antoine), Hannah Cockroft (Peter Eriksson), *Shana Cox (Lloyd Cowan), *James Dasaolu (Steve Fudge), Aled Davies (Anthony Hughes), David Devine (Brian Scobie), *Emily Diamond (Jared Deacon), Lisa Dobriskey (Ricky Soos), Kyron Duke (Anthony Hughes), *James Ellington (John Powell), Hannah England (Bud Baldaro), Jessica Ennis (Toni Minichiello), Mo Farah (Alberto Salazar), Adam Gemili (Michael Afilaka), Robbie Grabarz (Fayyaz Ahmed), Daniel Greaves (Jim Edwards), *Jack Green (Malcolm Arnold), Dai Greene (Malcolm Arnold), *Katrina Hart (Rob Ellchuk), Sophie Hitchon (Derek Evely), Phillips Idowu (Aston Moore), Emma Jackson (Alan Morris), Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Mike Holmes), Beverley Jones (John Parkin), *Nigel Levine (Linford Christie), Steve Lewis (Dan Pfaff), *Christian Malcolm (Stuart McMillan), *Lee McConnell (Rodger Harkins), *Jenny McLoughlin (Darrell Maynard), Jenny Meadows (Trevor Painter), Brett Morse (Andy Brittan), Christine Ohuruogu (Lloyd Cowan), Lawrence Okoye (John Hillier), Andrew Osagie (Craig Winrow), Jo Pavey (Gavin Pavey), Jonnie Peacock (Dan Pfaff), Josie Pearson (Anthony Hughes), Tiffany Porter (Rana Reider), Andrew Pozzi (Malcolm Arnold), Gemma Prescott (Michael Anthony Woods), Shara Proctor (Rana Reider), Stefanie Reid (Keith Antoine), *Martyn Rooney (Fayyaz Ahmed), Ben Rushgrove (Rob Ellchuk), Greg Rutherford (Dan Pfaff), Goldie Sayers (Dan Pfaff), *Perri Shakes-Drayton (Chris Zah), Will Sharman (George Maciukiewicz), Nathan Stephens (Anthony Hughes), *Danny Talbot (Daniel Cossins), Chris Tomlinson (Self-Coached), Andy Turner (Lloyd Cowan), Laura Weightman (Steve Cram), David Weir (Jenny Archer), Richard Whitehead (Liz Yelling/Keith Antoine), Claire Williams (Jim Edwards), *Conrad Williams (Linford Christie), Robin Womack, Shelly Woods (Peter Eriksson), Bethany Woodward (Jared Deacon), Nathan Woodward (Malcolm Arnold).
Podium Potential WCCP
Margaret Adeoye (Linford Christie), James Alaka (Clarence Callender), Meghan Beesley (Nick Dakin), David Bolarinwa (John Powell), Olivia Breen (Leroy Elliott), Ashley Bryant (Greg Richards), Abdul Buhari (Self-Coached), Katie Byres (Julien Raffalli-Ebezant), Jamie Carter (Jenny Archer), Adam Cotton (John Nuttall), Josh Clark, Mark Dry (Derek Evely), Zane Duquemin (John Hillier), Max Eaves (Steve Rippon), Luke Fagan (Michael Afilaka), Rory Fraser (Art Acevedo), James Gladman (James Hillier), Emelia Gorecka (Mick Woods), Charlie Grice (Jon Bigg), Claire Hallissey (self coached), Jordan Howe (Jane Coia), Abigail Irozuru (Frank Attoh), JJ Jegede (Peter Stanley), Jade Jones (Ian Thompson/Tanni Grey-Thompson), Rhys Jones (Jane Coia), Jessica Judd (Rob Denmark), Andy Kaar (self coached), Sophie Kamlish (Rob Ellchuk), Luke Lennon Ford (Linford Christie), Eilish McColgan (Liz McColgan), Dean Miller (Bud Baldaro), Mukhtar Mohammed (Mustafa Mohammed), Stephen Morris (Chris Moss), Freya Murray-Ross (Steve Jones), Ross Murray (Craig Winrow), Jade Nicholls (Andrew Neal), Mel Nicholls (Job King), Georgina Oliver (Paul Moseley), Stephen Osborne (Peter Eriksson), Isobel Pooley (Fayyaz Ahmed), Charlotte Purdue (Mick Woods), Julian Reid (Aston Moore), Jazmin Sawyers (Toni Minichiello), Chris Scott (Andy Neal), James Shane (Martin Brown), Lynsey Sharp (David Sunderland), Alex Smith (Shane Peacock), Will Smith (Jenny Archer), Owain Taylor (Anthony Hughes), Deji Tobais (Jonas Dodoo), Kieran Tscherniawsky (Jim Edwards), Lorraine Ugen (Frank Attoh), Chijindu Ujah (Jonas Tawiah-Doodoo).