Scott Lincoln added to top tier in 62-strong group that will receive World Class Programme support.

UK Athletics has announced the 62 athletes to be nominated for the National Lottery Funded World Class Programme (WCP) in the coming year.

Athletes will be supported across four levels — Podium, Podium Potential, Relay and Confirmation — the governing body highlighting that inclusion is based "on the assessment that they have the realistic potential and demonstrable performance capability to achieve podium success at the 2027 World Championships in Beijing, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and, in some cases, the 2032 Olympic Games".

This latest cohort contains eight new faces to the programme. The highest profile addition is Scott Lincoln, who will receive the top level of funding following a year in which he finished eighth in the men's shot put final at the World Championships in Tokyo, Britain's best ever placing in the event.

Tyri Donovan, Emily Newnham, Hannah Nuttall and Elise Thorner are included in the Podium Potential list, while Lee Thompson is on Olympic Relay Confirmation funding and Patrick Dever, Success Eduan and Abi Pawlett join the Olympic Confirmation list. Members from the past year — Katie Snowden (Podium), Melissa Courtney-Bryant, Phoebe Gill and Charlotte Payne (Potential), Eugene Amo-Dadzie, Victoria Ohuruogu, Ama Pipi and Joshua Zeller (Relays) — are not included.

The list also reveals some interesting coaching changes, with Louie Hinchliffe no longer working with Richard Kilty, Imani Lansiquot joining Amy Hunt in the Italian training group overseen by Marco Airale and Lina Nielsen being mentored by former Olympic hurdler Jack Green.

“With European Championships taking place for the first time in the UK in Birmingham in 2026, our GB & NI athletes will have an incredible opportunity to perform on home soil," said UKA Performance Director Paula Dunn. "Competing in front of friends, family and passionate home crowds is always special, and I know our athletes will rise to that occasion with pride and purpose.

“We now enter the crucial phase of the performance cycle — our sights set firmly on the 2027 World Championships in Beijing and the LA Olympic Games and beyond. Every step we take from here is about building towards those pinnacle moments.

“For those not selected this time, this isn’t the end of the journey. The standards for the programme are high, but potential and progress continue in many forms. We’ve seen time and again that pathways to success are rarely linear. Everyone who wears the GB & NI vest should be proud, and we’ll keep working to support and guide our athletes towards future success.”

World Class Programme Athletes 2026:

Olympic Podium (21)

Amber Anning (Chris Johnson, Brighton & Hove)

Dina Asher-Smith (Blackheath & Bromley)

Max Burgin (Ian Burgin, Halifax Harriers)

Emile Cairess (Renato Canova, Leeds City)

Molly Caudery (Scott Simpson, Thames Valley)

Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Austin Brobst, Leeds City)

Keely Hodgkinson (Trevor Painter, Leigh)

Amy Hunt (Marco Airale, Charnwood)

Georgia Hunter Bell (Trevor Painter, Belgrave Harriers)

Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet)

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Aston Moore, Liverpool)

Josh Kerr (Danny Mackey, Edinburgh)

Morgan Lake (Yannick Tregaro, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)

Scott Lincoln (Dale Stevenson, City of York)*

Laura Muir (Laura Weightman, Dundee Hawkhill)

Darryl Neita (Lance Brauman, Cambridge Harriers)

Ben Pattison (Dave Ragan, Basingstoke & Mid Hants)

Jemma Reekie (Jon Bigg, Kilbarchan)

Jazmin Sawyers (Aston Moore, City of Stoke)

Jake Wightman (John Hartigan, Edinburgh)

Matthew Hudson-Smith (Gary Evans, Birchfield Harriers)

LA Potential (1)

Cindy Sember (Woodford Green Essex Ladies)

Olympic Podium Potential (14)

Charlie Dobson (Leon Baptiste, Colchester)

Tyri Donovan (Marina Armstrong, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)*

Romell Glave (Michael Afilaka, Croydon)

Neil Gourley (Stephen Haas, Giffnock North)

Megan Keith (Ross Cairns, Inverness)

George Mills (Thomas Dreißigacker, Brighton Phoenix)

Emily Newnham (Nick Dakin, Shaftesbury Barnet)*

Hannah Nuttall (Helen Clitheroe, Charnwood)*

Jade O’Dowda (John Lane, Newham and Essex Beagles)

Tade Ojora (Joanna Hayes, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)

Aimee Pratt (Thomas Dreißigacker, Sale Harriers Manchester)

Anna Purchase (Mohamed Ali Saatara, Notts)

Marc Scott (Chris Jones, Richmond and Zetland)

Elise Thorner (Helen Clitheroe, Wells City)*

Olympic Relay (15)

Jeremiah Azu (Helen James, Cardiff)

Lewis Davey (Trevor Painter, Newham & Essex Beagles)

Toby Harries (David Sadkin, Brighton Phoenix)

Alex Haydock-Wilson (Dai Greene, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)

Desiree Henry (Enfield & Haringey)

Louie Hinchliffe (Sheffield & Dearne)

Yemi Mary John (Alan James, Woodford Green Essex Ladies)

Hannah Kelly (Les Hall, Bolton)

Imani Lansiquot (Marco Airale, Sutton & District)

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Michael Afilaka, Newham & Essex Beagles)

Lina Nielsen (Jack Green, Shaftesbury Barnet)

Laviai Nielsen (Tony Lester, Enfield & Haringey)

Sam Reardon (Nigel Stickings, Blackheath & Bromley)

Bianca Williams (Linford Christie, Thames Valley)

Nicole Yeargin (Gregory Sholars, Pitreavie)

Olympic Relay Confirmation (1)

Lee Thompson (John Henson, Sheffield & Dearne)*

Olympic Confirmation (10)

Alastair Chalmers (Matt Elias, Guernsey)

Patrick Dever (Alastair Cragg, Preston)*

Success Eduan (Anita Richardson, Sale Harriers Manchester)*

Phoebe Gill (Deborah Steer, St Albans)

Calli Hauger-Thackery (Nick Hauger, Hallamshire)

Mahamed Mahamed (Idris Hamud, Southampton)

Jake Norris (Nick Ridgeon Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)

Abi Pawlett (Ashley Bryant, Trafford)*

Jess Warner-Judd (Mick Judd, Blackburn)

Revee Walcott-Nolan (Thomas Dreißigacker, Luton)

*New to the programme for 2026