Dean Macey is now reaping the rewards of his 1999 IAAF World Championship decathlon silver medal win in the Estadio Olympico, Seville.

At a press conference held earlier this week, Canvey Islander Macey, 22, from Canvey Island, announced he had signed a three-year sponsorship deal with ASICS, a leading athletic sports shoe manufacturer.

The financial benefits of this deal will greatly assist Macey during his build-up to the Olympic Games in Athens. "I really can't go wrong with the support I am getting," he said.

Macey astounded the world with his performance in Arles, France earlier this year, finishing with 8,347 points, to put him in second place on the all-time list behind fellow Briton Daley Thompson - a result that was all the more impressive, taking into account he was returning to competitive action after recovering from a stress fracture to his foot.

Then, in Seville's Estadio Olympico, Macey roared to silver medal success in the last event, the 1500m, beating his rival Chris Huffins by 24.52 seconds, earning 8,556 points overall to put him 24th on the world all-time list.

Currently standing at No3 in the Track and Field Decathlon rankings, and with this sponsorship deal now signed, Macey can now concentrate on the forthcoming Olympics with fewer financial worries.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.