NEWS RELEASE
3 October 2007
LEE Merrien’s Olympic dream has been given a boost thanks to a major sponsorship deal.
The Island Games gold medallist has received funding to the tune of more than £30,000 over three years from Cannon Asset Management.
This money will go towards helping Merrien realise his ultimate dream of securing a place on the Great Britain Olympics team, as well as a place on the British Cross Country Teams and continued medal success at national indoor and outdoor championships.
Currently the Island Games 1500m record holder works part time as an Athletics Development Officer and a personal trainer. The rest of his time is spent in the UK and Europe competing on the international athletics circuit.
Although he has made a major breakthrough in distance running with a number of top class performances in Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Bahrain, Greece, Bermuda and Ireland, as well as the UK, he needs to step up his training and compete off-island with athletes of his calibre.
‘While I continue to recognise my roots and support Guernsey athletics through my work as a Development Officer and competing regularly on the island, being based here does have its draw backs; the main one for me was financial,’ said Merrien.
‘Being a part-time athlete and therefore only having the capacity to work and earn money on a part-time basis meant that I was struggling to meet the costs of travelling to the 15-20 competitions in the UK and further a field I need to attend each year.
‘I am extremely grateful to Cannon for their generous support. Such significant funding will allow me not only to train more often and have the appropriate time to recover, but also provide me with more opportunities to travel to races and to see my UK-based coach. Knowing that I have such a supportive sponsor also allows me to look to the future in a far more positive way.’
Cannon is delighted to be supporting one of the local, home-grown athletes.
‘Lee’s determination and drive was obvious when we met with him,’ Adrian Cann, director of Cannon Asset Management.
‘He is dedicated to achieving his goals and I am delighted that in providing him with financial support we are able to help him to reach them. He is one of Guernsey’s top athletes and a fantastic role model for the many budding, young athletes we have on the island. I am sure we will be seeing more of Lee on the international stage and he can certainly count on all of us at Cannon for some moral support.’
Picture caption: (L-R) Lee Merrien with his sponsors and supporters – Cannon Asset Management. (In the hand shake shot is Lee and Adrian Cann, managing director of Cannon)
Issued by Rachel Sauvage, Orchard PR, Tel. 01481 240600 |
Notes to editor:
Lee Merrien’s Athletics CV
Personal Best Times & Rankings:
UK Ranking
1500m 3.40.79 (2005) Island Record 11th
Mile 3.59.18 (2005) Island Record 8th*
3000m 8.00.51 (2006) Island Record 13th
5000m 13.57.66 (2007) Island Record 9th
* 43rd in the World Rankings
List of Major Achievements:
Goals for next 12months:
Career Goals: