17 October 2011
UKA, the national governing body for athletics in the UK, has today announced those athletes to be supported by the World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) for 2011/12, the season of the 2012 London Olympiad.
The WCPP selections, across both Olympic and Paralympic programmes, categorise the athletes into two levels of funding; Podium and Development with both groups delivering against UK Sport funding requirements and strict performance targets.
In this crucial final countdown to London 2012, selection to Podium level funding is focussed entirely on achieving medal success and top eight finishes at next summer’s Games.
2011 World champions Mo Farah (coach: Alberto Salazar) and Dai Greene (Malcolm Arnold) retain their places on Podium funding, while Daegu medallists Phillips Idowu (Aston Moore), Jessica Ennis (Toni Minichiello), Hannah England (Bud Baldaro) and Andy Turner (Lloyd Cowan) are also retained at the top level.
Three-times IPC World Champion David Weir (Jenny Archer) - reigning Paralympic champion over 800m and 1500m - is among 25 Paralympic athletes named at Podium level.
Following their top eight finishes at the IAAF World Championships in South Korea in August, Tiffany Porter (James Henry) and Yamile Aldama (Frank Attoh) will now also receive full WCCP Podium level support.
Elsewhere, a number of previous Development level athletes have been elevated to Podium funding. Holly Bleasdale (Julien Raffalli-Ebezant), Jack Green (Malcolm Arnold), Emma Jackson (Alan Morris) and Nathan Woodward (Nick Dakin) are amongst some of the athletes that are demonstrating how effectively the WCPP programme is nurturing young athletes towards success at senior level. While Paralympic athlete Scott Moorhouse (Dan Pfaff), fourth in the IPC World Championships, moves up through the WCPP from Development level to Podium courtesy of his lifetime best performance of 47.33m in the F42 javelin which ranks him second in the World.
Charles van Commenee, UKA Head Coach (Olympic), said: “We operate in a results driven business in which clear decisions have to be made if athletes are not performing to the high standards we set.
“We have reviewed performances from 2011 including those from previous years and identified what needs to be done in order to meet our targets for 2012.
“Progress was made in 2011 but there is still work to be done before next August to make our athletes perform better. A target of eight medals including one gold still remains.”
While the eyes of the World will be on London next summer, the Development level athletes have been selected onto the WCPP as part of the long term focus on medal success during the next Olympiad.
European Under 23 discus gold medallist Lawrence Okoye (John Hillier) has been included in the Development squad for the first time along with many improving performers including James Shane (Martin Brown).
Charles van Commenee, further added: “The athletes selected onto the programme will deservedly be given support from UKA and the National Lottery and these people will perform to the highest possible standard for the Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team on the international stage.
“The funding made available to UKA from the National Lottery enables our athletes to work with the best coaches and other support staff to ensure they got the best possible preparation for when they pull on a Great Britain vest.”
Peter Eriksson, UKA Head Coach (Paralympic), added: “It’s been a long year because of the IPC World Championships in January, but in the main, our athletes have continued to deliver high quality performances throughout the summer which have made this selection process easier for us.
“Moving into a Paralympic year it’s important that we’ve increased the base level at which our athletes are competing and I’m confident that we’ve done that, partly through more competition opportunities, but also due to the commitment from the athletes and the no-excuses environment in which we’re operating.
“Added to that, while the support we have from UKA and the National Lottery gives every athlete the opportunity to demonstrate their ability, the medal targets set by UK Sport ensure that once on funding, they must maintain that exceptionally high standard.”
The selection panel, consisting of Head Coaches, National Event Coaches and an independent statistician. Athletes entered at either level have met strict criteria and performance standards which have been present throughout the year and will have further targets to meet over the next 12 months with the support of UKA staff.
WCPP 2011/12 Podium
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Michael Khmel), Yamile Aldama (Frank Attoh), Hollie Arnold (Anthony Hughes), Michael Bingham (Kevin Tyler), Paul Blake (Rob Ellchuk), Holly Bleasdale (Julien Raffalli-Ebezant), Sally Brown (Philip Tweedie), Mickey Bushell (Fred Periac), Chris Clarke (Nick Dakin), Libby Clegg (Keith Antoine), Hannah Cockroft (Peter Eriksson), Tasha Danvers (Malcolm Arnold), Aled Davies (Anthony Hughes), Hatti Dean (Bud Baldaro), Kate Dennison (Scott Simpson), David Devine (Brian Scobie), Marlon Devonish (Dan Pfaff), Lisa Dobriskey (Ricky Soos), Nathan Douglas (Aston Moore), Kyron Duke (Anthony Hughes), Hannah England (Bud Baldaro), Jessica Ennis (Toni Minichiello), Mo Farah (Alberto Salazar), Dan Greaves (Jim Edwards), Jack Green (Malcolm Arnold), Dai Greene (Malcolm Arnold), Katrina Hart (Rob Ellchuk), Phillips Idowu (Aston Moore), Emma Jackson (Alan Morris), Beverley Jones (John Parker), Jeanette Kwakye (Michael Afilaka), Nigel Levine (Linford Christie), Steve Lewis (Dan Pfaff), Christian Malcolm (Dan Pfaff), Lee McConnell (Rodger Harkins), Jenny McLoughlin (Darrell Maynard), Jenny Meadows (Trevor Painter), Stephen Miller (Ros Miller), Scott Moorhouse (Dan Pfaff), Brett Morse, Christine Ohuruogu (Lloyd Cowan), Marilyn Okoro (Ayo Falola), Craig Pickering (Micahel Khmel), Tiffany Porter (James Henry), Shara Proctor (Rana Reider), Paula Radcliffe (Gary Lough), Stefanie Reid (Dan Pfaff), Michael Rimmer (Norman Poole), Hazel Robson (Janice Kaufman), Martyn Rooney (Nick Dakin), Ben Rushgrove (Rob Ellchuk), Greg Rutherford (Dan Pfaff), Nicola Sanders (Tony Lester), Goldie Sayers (Dan Pfaff), Perri Shakes-Drayton (Chris Zah), William Sharman (Malcolm Arnold), Nathan Stephens (Anthony Hughes), Richard Strachan (Linford Christie), Chris Thompson (John Nuttall), Chris Tomlinson (Frank Attoh), Andy Turner (Lloyd Cowan), Steph Twell (Michael Woods), Sophia Warner (Jonas Dodoo), David Weir (Jenny Archer), Dan West (Dan West), Richard Whitehead (Liz Yelling/Keith Antoine), Rhys Williams (Dan Pfaff), Shelly Woods (Peter Eriksson), Bethany Woodward (Jonas Dodoo), Nathan Woodward (Nick Dakin), Mara Yamauchi (Shige Yamauchi)
WCPP 2011/12 Podium Relay
Shana Cox (Chris Johnson), James Ellington (John Powell), Mark Lewis-Francis (Linford Christie)
WCPP 2011/12 Development
Ola Abidogun (Stephen Thomas), Jonathan Adams (Malcolm Wallace), James Alaka (Clarence Callender), Meghan Beesley (Nick Dakin), David Bolarinwa (John Powell), Ashley Bryant (Ian Grant), Abdul Buhari (Mark Wiseman), Eilidh Child (Malcolm Arnold), Sean Clare (Shelley Holroyd), Lawrence Clarke (Malcolm Arnold), Adam Cotton (John Nuttall), Lee Doran (John Davies), Max Eaves (Alan Richardson), Luke Fagan (Michael Afilaka), Adam Gemili (Michael Afilaka), Thomas Green (Ken Green), Charlie Grice (Jon Bigg), David Guest (Mike Guest), Matthew Hickling (Paul Moseley), Sophie Hitchon (Derek Evely), Jordan Howe (Jane Coia), Katarina Johnson Thompson (Mike Holmes), Jade Jones (Ian Thompson/Tanni Grey-Thompson), Rhys Jones (Jane Coia), Luke Lennon Ford (Linford Christie), Mervyn Luckwell (Esa Utriainen), Jack Meredith (Donald Moss), Eilish McColgan (Liz McColgan), Dean Miller (Bud Baldaro), Mukhtar Mohammed (Mustafa Mohammed), Jade Nicholls (Andrew Neal), Georgina Oliver (Paul Moseley), Lawrence Okoye (John Hillier), Andrew Osagie (Craig Winrow), Scott Overall (Robert Chapman), Jonathan Peacock ( Dan Pfaff), Andrew Pozzi (Malcolm Arnold), Charlotte Purdue (Mick Woods), Julian Reid (Chris Harley), Matthew Roberts (Fayyaz Ahmed), Laura Samuel (Glenys Morton), Chris Scott (Andy Neal), James Shane (Martin Brown), Lynsey Sharp (David Sunderland), Vicky Silk (Anthony Hughes), Alex Smith (Shane Peacock), Stacey Smith (John Smith), Andrew Sutcliffe (Julien Raffalli-Ebezant), Danny Talbot (Daniel Cossins), Owain Taylor (Anthony Hughes), Kieran Tscherniawsky (Jim Edwards), Lorraine Ugen (Frank Attoh), Laura Weightman (Steve Cram), Laura Whittingham (Esa Utriainen)