Marathon World Record holder Paula Radcliffe has lost her Lottery funding UK Athletics has revealed. The thirty nine year old runner, who missed the London 2012 Olympics due to a foot injury has been removed from the World Class Performance Programme, which will mean the withdrawal of her National Lottery funding.

Radcliffe has suffered a difficult few years with injuries plaguing her efforts to regain full fitness. She has run just one marathon in the past three years, finishing third in Berlin last autumn in 2hr 23min 46sec, a time which ranked her 19th in the world in 2011

The domestic governing body of track and field have decided to narrow their World Class Performance Programme from athletes deemed capable of making the top eight to those of medal potential.

Only athletes who showed potential top- three form at the 2012 Olympics or 2011 World Championships, and those considered capable of emerging as medallists on the road to the Rio Olympics, will receive top-level funding, which ranges from £13,000 to £26,000.

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 fulfil 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”