British champion forced to fundraise and work at restaurant chain to pay for Olympic training
A British champion hurdler from Plymouth has told ITV News he's had to launch a crowdfunder to pay for his training to help get him to the Olympics.
David King has been the British 110m hurdles champion for the past four years but he does not get any funding from British Athletics, so has to fund his training himself.
To qualify for the Olympics he needs to be in the top three athletes in the country and hit aqualifying time and he’d been funding his training in the past through his winnings atcompetitions and through a job at the high street chicken restaurant Nandos.
David King said: "It wasn’t the sort of job that is good for a professional athlete trying to compete for the Olympics!
"I was grilling chicken as well, so I was stood in front of the hot grill, late nights, it was tough.
"But as my performances stopped progressing as I would have liked, I knew I hadto make a big change.”
The money he had saved allowed him to give up his job and go to an elite athletes trainingcamp in Phoenix, Arizona in the USA, with the aim of making the Tokyo Olympics this year.
But then Covid struck, the Olympics were postponed until next year and David had to return home.
It’s left him in the difficult position of having to prepare to follow his dream without any funding.
In the past, David has received funding by British Athletics, but that was withdrawn severalyears ago.
British Athletics said: "The British Athletics World Class Programme (WCP) is UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded initiative to support the delivery of success at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"Membership onto the WCP is based upon an athletes’ potential to win a medal at Tokyo, or Paris 2024.
"The reality is that while more than 400 athletes will compete at the Olympics for Team GB,only between 100 and 120 are likely to be funded by British Athletics."
David started his athletics career at City of Plymouth Athletics Club, before moving to Bathto train.
His former Plymouth coach Stephen Endacott helped his own daughterKatherine to win a gold and a silver Commonwealth Games sprint medals.
He says David has huge potential.
Stephen Endacott said: “If you’re medalling, or getting into finals, then you get the package. If you’re not, then unfortunately they don’t support you.
I mean, he’s national champion. National champion and he’s having to go out with his hands just to try and get some money to go further, which is a hard pill to swallow.”
David is confident that the elite training he will get in Phoenix offers him the best chance ofrealising his dreams.
Other elite athletes have launched crowdfunders to help them follow those dreams.
It’s inspired David to start his own.
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