• Sprinters left out of World Class Performance Programme
• Jenny Meadows and David Greene handed increased funding

Mark Lewis-Francis, a 100 metres relay gold medallist at the 2004 Olympics, and the Welsh 200m runner Christian Malcolm have had their lottery funding withdrawn by UK Athletics.

Lewis-Francis, a member of the gold-medal winning 100m quartet in Athens, is not among the athletes invited on to the world-class performance programme (WCPP) for the 2009-10 season. The 27-year-old, a former world junior champion, missed the entire 2008 season, including the Beijing Olympics, with an achilles tendon injury. He was not selected for the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in August.

There is also no place on the funding programme for Malcolm, 30, who finished fifth in the Olympic 200m final in 2004 and again in 2008, but the Wigan runner Jenny Meadows has been rewarded for her 800m bronze medal in Berlin by having her funding upgraded from development to podium level.

Swansea’s David Greene has also had his funding increased as a result of reaching the 400m hurdles final at the world championships, while the 110m hurdler Andy Turner is back on the WCPP after an impressive season.

“I am delighted to be back on the world class performance programme,” said Turner. “Last year was a difficult time for me, but it was the wake-up call I needed.

“I definitely over-competed last year and that experience and the impact it had injury-wise made me realise just what a blessing lottery funding is by allowing us to peak for the big events and perform where it counts. I am looking forward to embarking on a winter of tough training and repaying the faith shown in my ability in 2010.”

Another high hurdler, William Sharman, is handed podium-level funding after a stunning and unexpected fourth place in the final in Berlin. Charlene Thomas, the surprise winner of the 1500m at the UK championships, and Jodie Williams, the teenager who won the sprint double at the world youth championships, are handed development funding.

“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,” Charles van Commenee, UKA’s head coach, said.

“What is really significant is that the number of podium athletes has increased dramatically, these athletes are put on to this level of funding as a direct result of their performances over the last 18 months, which clearly demonstrates increased levels of world-class performance – a clear indication of the impact our lottery funding is having.

“To have such a strong set of athletes on the programme really pays testimony to the depth of talent we have within the UK. With these athletes available for international team selection, 2010 with World Indoors, European Team Championships and European Championships is certainly something to look forward to where we can build on the progress of 2009.”

Peter Eriksson, the Paralympic head coach, added: “As with our Olympic counterparts, the Paralympic WCPP is about winning medals on the global stage and our criteria reflects that. I have no doubt that the athletes brought on to the 2009-10 WCPP programme will take us in the right direction and produce better performances.

“2009 has been an exciting year for the Paralympic Programme. We have created strategy, built a grassroots scheme and developed a performance pathway supported, thanks to the lottery playing general public, with significant funding, and this will take us to 2012 and beyond.”
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South Africa’s Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, the oldest man in the men’s field won the 800m in 1:45.29. Off at a slow pace, partly due to ten men contesting the final, Mulaudzi made the break on the final bend, and hung on to beat fast finishing defending champion Alfred Yego of Kenya, who took silver, and 1500 metres winner, Yusuf Saad Kamel of Bahrain, who took bronze, though both ran 1:45.45. Mulaudzi emphasised his advantage with a dip finish worthy of a sprinter, then crashed to the ground whence he issued an enormous victory roar.

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Khotso Mokoena rocketed into the the silver winning position at the Berlin World Championships. After great success after winning a silver medal at last years Olympic Games in Beijing.

Mokoena’s jump of 8.47m was just short of the eventual winning distance of 8.54m by Dwight Phillips, the twice former champion and Olympic gold medalist 2004.

I am sure Khotso Mokoena will now have his target set on the next World Championships for world success.

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After the first false start, the men’s 200m field shot off into the distance. Usain Bolt looked dominant from the word go. Bolt looked liked a bullet and led the field through the line and a set a new World Record with a surreal time of 19.19sec.

Usain Bolt now has two World Records for the 100m and 200m sprints along with the World Titles to go with it.

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The recently crowned African junior champion, Caster Semenya of South Africa, won the world title in Berlin yesterday with a world leading time of 1.55.45.

Semenya tracked Janeth Jepkosgei through a torrid first 200 metres in 26.81sec, and a 400m in 56.83. Semenya took over as the leader and made the race her own. She destroyed a quality field with pure speed and strength.

Controversy still shrouds the recently crowned womans 800m World Champion as a few questions have risen around  her gender. According to recent reports, she will undergo a gender test to see whether she is a female or not.

Hopefully Athletics South Africa have done their homework and that all is in order for the 18 year old Semenya.

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Usain Bolt is on track for another golden night in Berlin – despite his heroics of 36 hours earlier appearing to have taken a toll.

After smashing the 100m world record on Sunday, he sleepwalked his way through the first two rounds of the 200m yesterday.

“Boy am I tired,” said the Jamaican after winning his quarter-final in 20.42sec, to qualify fifth fastest for today’s semi-finals. He is still odds on for a second gold at the World Championships after injury forced out defending 200m champion Tyson Gay.

Marlon Devonish maintained British interest in the event by qualifying third from his quarter-final in 20.66sec.
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Berlin, Germany – With a performance that defies the imagination, Usain Bolt set a new 100m World record of 9.58 on the second evening of the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

The 22-year-old Jamaican knocked a mind-numbing 0.11 second from the 9.69 record he set at the Olympic Games in Beijing exactly one year ago today. One can only imagine where he’ll be and how fast he’ll run on 16 August of next year.

“I was definitely ready for the World record and I did it,” Bolt said. “I didn’t think I could run a tenth (of a second) faster than my World record, but for me, anything is possible.”

His was the largest chunk ever – by far – to be sliced from the 100m World record. Previously, both he and Maurice Greene shaved 0.05 from the standard to earn the moniker of World’s Fastest Man. A few days ago, Greene suggested that Bolt and other top sprinters weren’t currently on the same planet. Bolt’s performance this evening gave Greene’s assessment an otherworldly ring of truth.

So profound was Bolt’s achievement that defending champion Tyson Gay clocked a sensational 9.71 in second, a national record, that was just 0.02 shy of the previous World mark. And the American, who is now the second fastest man in history, was nowhere near the Jamaican when the finish line was crossed.

“I’m disappointed to have lost the race, but i ran my fastest time,” Gay said.

Not the quickest from the blocks, Bolt nonetheless took control some 30 metres into the race and continued onward to forge through territory not even the most passionate observers would have imagined before this evening. It was a run similar to his emphatic victory in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium a year ago, with two distinct differences: this time Bolt ran hard to the line, and this time he’ll collect a $100,000 World record bonus.

But the show’s not over. Both Bolt and Gay will meet again in the 200m, which starts on Tuesday (18 Aug).

Bolt’s compatriot, the former World record holder Asafa Powell took bronze for the second consecutive championships, in 9.84.

“I’m so excited about Usain’s run tonight, it is great to be part of this,” said Powell, who’s personal best is 9.72. “Usain showed us that it is possible.”

Further back was the second wave, led by Antiguan Dan Bailey who was fourth in 9.93, just ahead of Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson of Trinidad who was credited with the same time.

Dwain Chambers of Great Britain was sixth in 10.00, edging the second Trinidadian in the race, Marc Burns, who also stopped the clock in 10.00.

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JOHANNESBURG, Friday, 31 july 2009: A brilliant Caster Semenya shocked the athletics world today when she blitzed around the track at the African Junior Championships in Mauritius to win the gold medal in the 800 metres in 1:56,72 – the fastest time by a woman in the world this year.

With this performance she has staked her claim to be in medal contention at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin in two weeks time.

Semenya smashed the 18 year old South African senior record of Zelda Pretorius which stood at 1:58,85 and also closed in on the African record of Pamela Jelimo of Kenya which stands at 1:54,01.

Semenya improved with every race this year and ended the South African season with a time of 2:00,56 – the fourth best of all-time in the country at that stage.

South Africa won another gold medal in the early results at the Championships when Lindie Liebenberg won the discus for women with a distance of 43,24m.

Alyssa Conley won the silver medal in the  100 metres for women in a time of 12,17 while Waide Jooste  won the bronze medal in the men’s 100 metres with a time of 10,94 secs. His team mate Ethan Floris was fourth in the same time.

Luvo Manyonga won a bronze medal in the long jump for men with a good distance of 7,49m while Dylan Cotter was fourth with 7,476m.

“ASA is delighted with Caster’s achievement. For us it was a matter of time before she dipped under 2 minutes but we are overwhelmed in the manner that she has done it. Her performance, which underlines new South African Junior and Senior records respectively is unbelievable and leaves us over the moon. As ASA we will continue to support talented young athletes like her in preparation for major international events,” says Mr. Leonard Chuene, the president of ASA.

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