Jo Pavey has acknowledged that her age would have contributed to her exclusion from lottery funding for next season.
Pavey, who is 41, followed a bronze medal in the 5,000m at the Commonwealth Games by winning gold in the 10,000 at the European Championships, but the distance runner was a notable absentee from the funding lists when they were revealed on Monday.
The Honiton-born athlete told BBC Sport: "Obviously I'm disappointed not to get funding but I'm not surprised. I've been in this situation before.
"It is difficult when you get older because you feel like you're putting in the performances but you're probably too old to get the funding."
Pavey will be hoping to make a fifth appearance at an Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
