Commonwealth 1500 metres bronze medallist Steph Twell suffered a "bitter blow" as UK Athletics (UKA) yesterday announced its Lottery funding allocations for the coming year.

The 23-year-old Scot was a high-profile loser as major Games medal potential was identified by the sports body as its key criteria.

Four Scots were named in the elite funding list for 2013 by new UKA performance director Neil Black.

Eilidh Child and Lee McConnell have been included in the "world-class programme" based on their membership of Great Britain's 400 metres relay squad, while Paralympic sprint medallists Libby Clegg and Stef Reid also retain their spots in the group.

"I didn't expect it," Twell said. "I feel I have a lot more to give to the sport. It's a shortsighted view from UKA. I suffered a significant amount of misfortune which ruled me out of 2011 [she broke an ankle in three places in a cross country race in February of that year]. I didn't make the Olympics, but I was close."

Twell had battled back to qualify for the London 2012 5000m only to suffer another stress fracture of the same ankle in June as she took part in the 5000m at the European Championship in Finland. "I delivered for them [UKA] on so many occasions, I find it hard to swallow," she added.

Cuba-born Yamile Aldama, who qualifies as a GB athlete by virtue of being married to a Scot, and who finished fifth in the triple jump in London, has retained her funding.

The European 800m silver medallist Lynsey Sharp has been kept in the second-tier "podium programme", joined by Scotland internationalists Eilish McColgan, Freya Ross and Mark Dry.

"Being part of the world-class performance plan is not a right. Athletes selected will be expected to fulfil tough performance criteria," said Black, who succeeded Charles van Commenee after the Olympics. "Those who have not met performance criteria over the last year will not receive support. It is undoubtedly tough, but that is performance sport.

"Yamile has recently been a world indoor champion and has a performance level that suggests she'll have success."

The Scottish marathon runner Andrew Lemoncello has been left out for the second successive year.

* Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe was the highest-profile loser in yesterday's UK Athletics (UKA) shake-up of Lottery funding allocations but the 38-year-old has vowed to continue in a bid to regain her form.

The mother of two, who missed the London Olympics with a foot injury and has only raced in one marathon since 2009, in Beijing last year, admitted she had expected to be removed from the 'world-class performance programme' for 2013.

She said: "Just to clarify, I am very grateful for the support Lottery funding gives us athletes and fully expected to see it [to be] withdrawn.

"From the beginning I have only ever received medical support, which is of course significant and vital. Since funding came in, I have seen big differences in the depth and strength of all our sports.

"Retirement is definitely not in any plans. I'm not doing all this cross-training and getting this foot healthy and strong for nothing."

Lead body UK Sport have narrowed the focus for funding for athletes across sports from those with top-eight potential to only medal contenders at global championships in the next Olympic cycle.

"I talked with Paula over the weekend and she understood it," said UKA performance director Neil Black.

Black, who took over from Charles van Commenee after London 2012, added: "It is about medals for the future. It was what she expected. She dealt with it really well. She will carry on training and competing and I don't think too many things will change.

"We have the World Championships in Moscow next year, then we look to 2016 and then to 2020. It is about medals for the future."

Radcliffe had been on 'podium-level' funding, the highest level of Lottery support. Means testing meant she did not get any financial aid, which runs from around £13,000 to £26,000, but she did benefit from access to coaches, facilities, medical staff and training camps.

Radcliffe, who also missed last year's World Championships in Daegu, was third in Beijing last September in her last outing over 26 miles. Before that, she had not run a marathon since November 2009 in New York.

Her only race this year was in a half-marathon in Vienna in which she came sixth in 72.03 minutes, her slowest time over the distance.