Former Olympic 100 metres relay champion Mark Lewis-Francis is adamant his best years are still ahead of him - and insists he never even contemplated retirement when his lottery funding was withdrawn by UK Athletics.

The 27-year-old, a member of Great Britain's gold medal-winning quartet in Athens in 2004, saw his funding taken away last month.

The news was a second major setback for the former world junior champion following the serious Achilles tendon injury which ruled him out of the entire 2008 season, including the Beijing Olympics.

Lewis-Francis has now, though, secured a sponsorship deal with Global Sponsorship Group - a company that matches corporate sponsors with sports men and women - which will cover all his medical costs.

And, ahead of a long spell of winter training which he hopes he send him into the new season in the best possible shape, he has no doubts he will get back to his best.

He said: "The years I was injured were my worst years of performance. Before the operation I was performing and I was doing all right, I was running decent times. And I do believe I've still got that in my legs."

The Walsall-born athlete is drawing belief from the exploits of some of his fellow sprinters, whose best performances came as they neared 30.

"The examples are Linford (Christie), Marlon Devonish, even Jason Gardener to a point," he added. "Those guys came out and performed in their later years."

The Birchfield Harrier is targeting the British team for next year's three major championships - the World Indoor Championships in Doha in March, the European Championships in Barcelona in July and the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October - as the first steps in rebuilding his career.

"For me, I've got to aim high," Lewis-Francis added. "It's a 'go for everything' situation, there's the world indoors coming up, the Commonwealth Games and the European outdoors.

"It would be nice to see myself on the team. I can't see why I can't make the team. I still believe that I still got the ability to go out there and perform. Talent never goes away. I've just got to train that little bit harder to find it."

Lewis-Francis was not selected for the GB team for the World Championships in Berlin in the summer after finishing eighth in the trials.

That performance was clearly not enough for him to retain his funding, but he insists he never thought about retirement.

"The plan was always to get on with the winter and come out for next season. There was never retirement on the agenda," he said.

"I've just joined Linford Christie's training group and things have gone really well. For me to retire would be a big mistake, because I've got so much more in the legs to give.

"I've not fulfilled my dreams yet in track and field so it would be pointless to retire right now."