MARK DRY, the Commonwealth hammer medallist, admits his plans to target the podium in Rio have been left hanging in the air while sports chiefs dither over their funding plans up to the 2016 Olympics.
With the Scottish Government yet to decide whether to extend a scheme which offers financial backing towards individual athletes, and UK Athletics not convening until next month to compile their target list for Lottery cash, Dry will go into today's Alan Bertram Memorial meeting in Livingston with his winter schedule on hold.
And although he wants to build on his bronze from Glasgow by spending extra time in California with his coach Tore Gustafsson, the Scottish champion remains in limbo.
"I don't know if I'll be kicked off UK funding." Dry said. "My Athlete Award from sportscotland expired after the Games. So I don't know what's happening or if I'll be able to get help with flights. If I can move forward to 78-plus metres, it will help.
"Next season, if I have a good winter to fix some issues and put on a couple of kilos, then I really want to medal at Rio. People say it's a long shot but if I aim for it, I think I'll move forward. I want to throw big at championships rather than nowhere."
Hammer guru Bertram, who died last year, will be remembered in the tribute meeting at Craigwood which will also feature his former charges Andy Frost, Chris Bennett and Susan McKelvie, along with those who admired his decades of service.
"Hopefully we'll get some good conditions to throw well and do something similar to the Scottish Championships," Dry said. "It means a lot to me. It means a lot to the other guys. We all owe a lot to Alan."
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