They think someone of 30 and still trying to swim is just having a go They prefer to give money to younger people. If they do, fine, but it would have been nice if they had written to me."They did after she made it to Atlanta, enclosing a cheque of pounds 175, something she believes they got in the wrong order Just as her own timing, career wise, seems slightly awry. The elite get money, which I wouldn't argue with, they deserve it, but those just below them get very little. It forces people out of sport and some of them could have been Olympic medallists."Foot does not put herself in that bracket - "It would take a miracle" - but the fact she clocked a personal best this year of 61.82sec at an age when she ought to be on the decline implies she might have found more in her twenties."Just pounds 50 would have been nice a year ago," she said "Something to say: 'We haven't forgotten you We know you're there. She survives on the money she makes as a swimming teacher, her training expenses a drain that is not blocked by sponsorship."I realise there's not a bottomless pit," she said several weeks after her original outburst, "but something's wrong. An international since 1981, she was forced to retire four years ago partly through lack of finance.

Forgoing a warm-down swim and still dripping with water she also oozed indignation about the funding of British swimming. "It's a disgrace," she said, her anger reinforced by an 18-month lack of response to her own request for a grant "The people who really deserve the money are not getting it. There is a hole in the system of support."Foot would put herself well and truly in that hole. The medal hopes had come through the first- past-the-post system and the selectors had reason to feel smug that the prophesies of calamity had proved wrong Then Caroline Foot intruded on the congratulations. The 31-year-old York swimmer had qualified for Atlanta in the last race, the women's 100 metres butterfly, but had no intention of savouring the achievement quietly. The scene was the British Olympic trials in Sheffield and the mood was quiet satisfaction.

But what if those heroes turn out to be drug takers?"McLeod isn't the only cheated British Olympian. Tatyana Dorovskikh was banned for failing a drugs test three years ago but the Ukrainian still has the gold medal she won in the 3,000m final in the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and the bronze she won in the 1500m. Yvonne Murray will never be upgraded from third to second in the 3,000m result and Chris Boxer will never see the bronze from the 1500m."It must be worse for Chris than it is for me," McLeod said "She finished fourth and she has nothing At least I got on to the rostrum and ended up with two I don't think I'll ever get the third one.". And it's sad for kids like my two lads [Ryan, 11, is a keen 800m runner with Elswick Harriers; Mark, 16, is the Northumberland schools 400m champion]. They're looking at their heroes when they watch athletics on television. I think it's just swept under the carpet."I think everyone should be tested when they come to the Games and that anyone caught should be kicked out of the sport for good It's all so sad for the people who are not taking drugs.