Ross Murdoch: Commonwealth swimming champion loses elite level of funding

Ross Murdoch won European Championships gold in the 200m breaststroke in May, but failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics in the event

Commonwealth champion Ross Murdoch has lost his elite British Swimming funding after missing out on a place in the Rio Olympic final.

It rounds off a difficult year for the 2015 world bronze medallist who failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics in his favoured 200m breaststroke event.

The Scot, 22, will receive the lower 'podium potential' level of support for the next 12 months.

Fellow Rio Olympians Robbie Renwick and Keri-anne Payne have lost all funding.

Keri-anne Payne (left) won silver at the Beijing 2008 Olympics alongside team-mate Cassandra Patten, but finished fifth at the London Games and seventh at the Rio Olympics this summer

Following a disappointing London Olympics - where British Swimming missed their medal target - the squad secured record-breaking medal hauls from the 2014 European and 2015 World Championships.

Led by Olympic 100m breaststroke champion Adam Peaty - who retains his 'elite podium' funding - GB swimmers then stormed to their biggest Olympic haul in the pool since 1908 with six medals in Rio.

Renwick took home an Olympic silver medal from Brazil having raced in the heats of the 4x200m freestyle event, but was not selected as part of the four-strong line-up for the final - where Britain's men finished behind the USA.

Olympic finallists Chloe Tutton, Max Litchfield and Molly Renshaw have all moved up from 'podium potential' funding to the elite level of support following impressive performances throughout this year.

"The sport enjoyed a very successful 2016 but we know that our aims and ambitions don't end there as we now move forward to the 2020 Olympic Games," said British Swimming's national performance director Chris Spice.

"This year's investment is going to enable our talented swimmers to continue to achieve their performance targets as they set their sights on Tokyo."

Fifty-five athletes have been selected by British Swimming for 'world class performance programme' funding during the 2016-17 season, with 17 at podium level and 38 receiving podium potential support.