A British shot putter is looking to repay the faith of the pair who backed him and settle any dispute over the British shot put record by ‘unlocking’ the massive throw he knows he is capable of. writes Ben Bloom.
Scott Lincoln learned a long time ago that it was not wise to rely on his federation’s centralized funding program to finance his track and field career. On two previous occasions when he entered the British Athletics list for second-tier funding, the 32-year-old was swiftly dropped after a season or two.
So when, for the first time this winter, his name appeared among British Olympic and world medalists at the highest level of funding, Lincoln’s joy was tempered. The financial reward came in rightful recognition of his achievements last summer when he finished eighth at the World Championships, the highest ever result by a Briton in the competition’s 42-year history. But without the support of his governing body, Lincoln has already found an alternative way to support a career he hopes will bring international medals this year and end the disputed British record.
It was at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, where he failed to advance from the qualifying round, that Lincoln was lucky enough to meet a husband and wife couple from London. The couple, who insist on remaining anonymous, have been successful in the business world and enjoy using some of their wealth to help others, giving money to those they believe are deserving with no strings attached. That Lincoln became one of them may have saved Britain’s best shot for a generation.
“Without them, I probably would have walked away from the sport a couple of times,” said Lincoln, who went full-time five years ago. “But I had their financial support which changed everything, I won gold with them, not only with money but now I’m good friends with them.
“I will go and visit them very often, and I have stayed with them. They are just fantastic people who want to help people like me. They help many other people in different avenues of the world. They don’t want me to feel any pressure. When I first got the funding they said I don’t have to talk to them anymore and I still have to get the money but they really want to look at it. excited to get to know them over the past few years and we have become very good friends.
“I go to them for advice because they can give me a different perspective on things that don’t come from sports. I really respect them both for what they’ve done for me throughout my career.”
Although he is now sitting on the big and very good side of funding for the British Athletics Olympic Chair, it speaks volumes that an athlete of Lincoln’s caliber has had to resort to such means to continue his career.
“It’s hard to do sports if you’re not financially secure or willing to spend your entire salary on what you’re doing,” he says. “The British Athletics funding is there to help you in your career and to progress in your career, but you can’t rely on that either because it’s so unstable. It’s very performance-based and quite harsh if you don’t live up to what they ask of you right away.
“The first time I participated in it, they said that I would do it for two years, and then they fired me after one. The second time I appealed that I was fired because I felt difficult. the appeal seemed successful, but then they got back together and said no.
It is approaching a decade since Lincoln first donned the GB senior vest, but these are early days for the second in his hurling career. It was after competing in her second Olympics in Paris 18 months ago that she decided she needed a change. Having been with his childhood coach Paul Wilson since his early teenage years, he began scouting for the new formation. The search led him to Melbourne, Australia under Dale Stevenson.
“I wanted a new challenge, something fresh to find my spark again,” Lincoln explains. “I became a full-time athlete with Paul, he got me to two Olympics and I won a Commonwealth medal (bronze in 2022). I will always be grateful for everything Paul did for me. But I still feel like I have more to give.
“I needed something to stimulate me again – fresh ideas and a fresh perspective on things. I was very disappointed with my major league performances. I was doing well all year and was very consistent, but as soon as I got to the big leagues, I went downhill. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.”
Since November 2024, Lincoln has led a double life, spending the winter and most of the spring in Australia, where his girlfriend, javelin thrower Freya Jones, has family, and returning to his home in Yorkshire for the indoor and outdoor competition seasons. It didn’t take him long to start reaping the rewards.
After just a few months Down Under, she came within two centimeters of a European indoor luxury medal last winter. This was then followed by a career-high 8th place finish at the World Championships in Tokyo.
“It was definitely a big step in my career in terms of actually playing in a major,” said Lincoln of making the world final. “Dale is all about the major leagues, everything works around it.
“It was a big step, not only in terms of results, but also mentally, knowing that I can comfortably go to the final. There really was a moment in that final where, for the first time in my career, I was sitting back watching the frame, feeling like I could win a medal if I put it all together.
His current return to home shores began with a stunning 21st consecutive British title in Birmingham last month. Yet despite being 10-and-a-half years unbeaten at the national indoor and outdoor championships and winning Commonwealth bronze in front of a Birmingham crowd three years ago, his desire for more prompts a surprising admission:
“Winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games gave me a taste of what it feels like to win medals. Hopefully now I can get a few more as well as the British record.”
That last goal is non-negotiable. Jeff Capes’ official national mark of 21.68m has stood since 1980 and has a personal connection to Lincoln, where the former world’s strongest man served as a mentor until his death a year ago. The situation is also somewhat bleak with Carl Myerskow’s throw of 21.92m in 2003, shortly after his return from a doping ban, which was never certified by the governing body.
READ MORE. A tribute to Jeff Capes
“Honestly, I just want to be the first British 22m thrower,” says Lincoln. “There’s this thing in my head that I just want to clear the British record completely. If I throw 22 meters, the record is clean, there is no dispute about it, and it’s done.”
The time to do so, he argues, is now. His latest British title came with a best effort of 20.80m, but Lincoln says the moment was tinged with disappointment because “I know there’s something bigger in me”. After his second winter in Melbourne, he is ready and fully expecting to unleash something in the near future.
He adds: “I had a bit of training in Loughborough (from the British Indoor Championships) the day before and they were going over my PB a lot. I’m definitely in PB shape. In my eyes I’m in British record form. But you’re not in shape until it’s out.
“I have a lot of horsepower right now, it’s just not coming out at the right time in the competition. We will figure it out and then it will come. It’s a ticking time bomb at this point. I hope it comes out when it needs to. I’ve got to open the big throw that’s sitting there waiting.”
If all goes according to plan, it will appear at this month’s World Indoor Championships, where he hopes to fight for the podium. Whether that happens in the next few weeks or not, he is confident this summer will be his most successful yet, hoping to win medals at both the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships; “I think 2026 is my time.”
