Paralympian wins funding appeal

Crates has only secured funding for the next six months

Essex Paralympian Danny Crates has had his lottery funding returned after an independent panel upheld his appeal.

The 800m runner from Maldon carried the flag for Great Britain at this year's Beijing Games, but was unable to compete because of a calf injury.

Crates, 35, was told in November he would no longer receive financial help.

But a statement said he has now been granted funding "pending conditions which are currently being worked out between the athlete and UK Athletics".

Crates told BBC Essex he had been awarded 'C-list' funding for a six-month period and must also run a time of one minute 53.68 seconds to prove his fitness.

He said: "I believe I can do it, so I have no problems with them setting a performance target.

"But the funding only being for six months is going to be quite tough because I'm only being supported for half the year.

"But the other side of being a funded athlete is just as important, if not more so, with the medical and services support which comes with it, so I can access physios, masseurs, dieticians and doctors."

Crates added that because the appeal was heard by an independent panel, UK Athletics were not obliged to offer funding beyond the six-month period, even if he were to meet the performance targets.

"There's no guarantee that UK Athletics has to keep me on at the end of it, so I could find myself in the same boat again next year," he explained.

The 2004 Paralympic gold medallist promised he would turn the funding battle into a positive for his career.

"I guess I've been through tougher times in my life and I've always been a believer that when you hit hurdles in life they are always there for a reason," he said.

"If you strive to get over them then you can come out the other side a lot stronger."