An elite swimmer has spoken of his disappointment after his dream of winning Olympic gold was shattered when his funding was pulled.  

Daniel Fogg, 27, grew up in Chingford, where his parents still live in Burley Close, and trained with Waltham Forest Swimming Club before moving to Team GB's high-performance centre in Loughborough at the age of 18. 

For several years, Fogg has received funding from UK Sport, but following a recent annual review, he lost his place in the performance squad and support will now end. 

Mr Fogg missed out on a medal at the 2012 Olympics, finishing fifth in the 10km event.

Despite recently winning European Championship gold in the 5km open water race, which is not an Olympic event, he failed to qualify for the 10km event.  

He said:"I accept it’s a hard decision to make, but it is definitely not right for someone who can win gold to have their funding cut.

"It is everything and all I’ve ever known."

British Swimming’s head of performance, Tim Jones, said: "We are now investing in a cohort of people that are more likely to bring us long term success."

Mr Fogg is now looking for sponsorship and says he is determined to continue.

“I want to carry on swimming. Nothing has changed except the extra-added stress in the back of my mind. I’m still going to give it everything I can," he added. 

For more on this story, see this week's Guardian - out Thursday