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Tough at the top: Ross Brewer struggles to make ends meet. Deadlinepix Sang Tan ST1055-B

Double Commonwealth Games gold medallist Ross Brewer is doing his bit to help the London 2012 Olympic bid, but his own career is in danger of being undermined by a lack of funding, writes Ross Basham.

Brewer, 25, who has won the British all-round Championship for the past two years, featured in a London 2012 photoshoot to mark 100 days until the host city is chosen.

Other members of Sutton School of Gymnastics have also featured in the campaign; Ben Brown could be seen leaping over the gherkin' building and Laura Coggins appeared in a promotional video with David Beckham.

But Ross, who lives in Wallington, is struggling to maintain his training regime since men's gymnastics lost its lottery funding last year. He now works one day a week as a bookkeeper at his dad's accountancy firm.

"They changed the criteria, so lottery funding was linked only to Olympic results. We had a bit of a disaster at the World Championships and no GB men qualified for last year's Olympics," said Ross.

"As a result, our lottery funding was stopped.

"How are we supposed to improve without funding? I have had to cut my training back and I may have to cut back more soon.

"My training takes up seven hours, five days a week so it is basically a full-time job."

The decision seems strange when you consider GB's men, including Brewer, won team gold at the past two Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur and Manchester.

Although he expects to have retired from international competition by then, Brewer is excited at the prospect of the Olympics coming to London.

He said: "I can't think of a better way to increase people's interest in sport such as gymnastics, which are only ever on TV at major events."

Brewer has just returned from Brisbane, where he won individual all-round gold in a friendly against Australia.

The next Commonwealth Games are in Melbourne next year, after which Brewer will decide whether to continue training in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

He said: "It is going well I won the London Open before Christmas, and Sutton won the British team gold in March for the second year in a row."

Sutton's success came despite training at Wandle Valley school hall in Carshalton.

Ross said: "The council has been supportive, but hasn't got the money to help us find somewhere new. Fortunately, my coach Simon Moore is one of the best in the country."

Next up is the European Championships in Hungary, the week before Ross' wedding in June.

11:56am Friday 6th May 2005

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