BLACK DEFENDS DECISION TO DROP DRY FROM LOTTERY FUNDING

UK Athletics performance director Neil Black has defended the decision to drop Scottish hammer thrower Mark Dry from lottery funding following the hip surgery that almost ended the Commonwealth medallist’s career. The Burghead thrower – a semi-finalist at last summer’s Olympics in Rio – is now competing with a massive chip on his shoulder that stems from his anger at losing his support. However Black insisted the move was made based on performances, not potential. “It’s always tough when someone isn’t retained on funding,” he said. “The decisions are based on the information we’ve got and the projections into the future. It’s hard. “But we try our best to always make decisions which are correct, comparable and consistent and that was the one we took. It’s always done on the basis that we hope the athlete understands it’s not personal and that they understand we wish them the best and we hope they go on to demonstrate through their performances what they’ve got.”