Lewis-Francis vows to reclaim GB vest

By Matt Wright, Sportsbeat

MARK Lewis-Francis has vowed to reclaim his place in the British team and make 2010 his best year yet.

LOOKING AHEAD: Mark Lewis-Francis aims to break back into the British team (Getty Images)

The 27-year-old has been plagued by injuries ever since holding the USA's Maurice Greene at bay in the Greek capital in six years ago to clinch relay gold.

He was forced to sit out Beijing 2008 with an Achilles injury before a lacklustre 2009 saw a season's best of 10.37 seconds.

Lewis-Francis has been a powder keg of potential, waiting to explode since bursting onto the athletics scene in 1999, capturing the world youth title before clocking a wind-assisted 9.97 seconds seven years ago.

But injury troubles, combined with the no-nonsense attitude of UKA head coach Charles van Commenee saw Lewis-Francis, once dubbed the world's fastest teenager, stripped of his National Lottery funding in October.

Lewis-Francis has not given up hope of donning the GB vest again however, and with the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games both scheduled for 2010, the sprinter can see light at the end of the tunnel.

"I've raced three times in one day and I've walked away from it injury-free," said Lewis-Francis, who clocked a speedy 6.59 last weekend in London.

"My body feels good, I'm in one piece and I really can't complain.

"For now I'm just going to go with the flow and see what happens rather than set targets for myself.

"I'd love to wear a GB vest again, but first I need to get some more races under my belt and get some more confidence, that's the aim for this year.

"It's been a long time since I wore a GB vest, just to achieve that would be a godsend. My short-term goal is just to stay fit then I can focus on the long-term goal on racing for my country again.

"We've got the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games this year and the doors always open - anything could happen. This is an important stepping stone as much as anything else.

"This year I've had no support no funding, no sponsorship, no kit deal, no nothing. For me to be running the way I've been running with no support is just great."