100 and 200 metre sprinter James Ellington becomes the latest London Olympic hopeful to find alternative means to fund his London Olympic dream.
The 26 year old from Lewisham has set up an eBay site where he hopes to raise a £30,000 sponsorship deal for the London Olympics in 2012.
The hamstring tear, which was torn by nine centimetres, put an early end to his 2010 athletics season. In an interview with the BBC Ellington explains that he “missed the boat” for all of the Olympic contracts and sponsorship deals last year because he was “struck down with injury.” He returned this year however with PB performances in the 60m, 100m, and 200m.
Although he is on the world class performance funding with UKA he expresses that it is not enough to help him train full time.
On his £30,000 asking price he tells BBC Breakfast: “It may sound a lot but if you break it down to a yearly wage of between £10,000 – £15,000 just as a wage, and then obviously the expenses […] to get around to your races, it’s nothing. It’s basically gonna take the weight off my shoulders so I can train full time and not have to worry about working.”
Ellington joins the likes of Kelly Sotherton and Richard Buck, who is now working in Loughborough to help supplement his £20,000 deficit, in the latest of a string of athletes to have had their funding reduced or cut by UK Athletics due to dwindling performances.
At the moment 61 bids have been placed and the money now stands at £31,200, £1,200 over Ellington’s asking price.
