Jess Varnish is dropped by GB cycling
Jess Varnish has been dropped from the Great Britain cycling team weeks after suffering Olympic disappointment for a second time.
The 25-year-old from Halesowen was told in March she would not be considered for selection for August's Olympics in Rio after failing to qualify in the two-woman, two-lap team sprint.
Varnish, who was disqualified from the event alongside Victoria Pendleton at the London 2012 Games, and Katy Marchant finished fifth at the Track World Championships in London on March 2.
It was not enough to advance to Rio, with British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton subsequently confirming Varnish has been axed.
He said: "Following on from our annual post-Track World Championships performance reviews, the decision was made for Jess to leave the sprint programme.
"Since her gold medal at the London World Cup in 2012, Jess had not made the necessary gains in performance compared to the rest of the world.
"The decision was based on a projection of medal competitiveness at Olympic Games level. We wish Jess the best of luck in the next stage of her career."
Varnish and Marchant were furious with the British Cycling coaches for their selection decisions in the two-year qualification window, which led to the failure to advance to Rio.
Varnish said: "I feel sick. How many more times can I keep putting my life on hold, making these choices for my career, if it's not going to pay off, through no fault of our own?"
However, Sutton insisted Varnish's criticism of the set-up had nothing to do with the decision and the decision had been made 'purely on performance grounds.'
