Olympic athlete Oliver Dustin is getting the support of his neighbours back in Workington.
A number of the residents in Milton Drive in Workington are backing the 20-year-old Birmingham University student as he heads towards his first appearance in the 800 metres in Tokyo.
Bunting, Union Flag and Olympic flags are being displayed on the street with Oliver’s parents making an eye-catching display on their bungalow.
One neighbour said: “It’s a wonderful achievement for a local lad to go all the way to the Olympics. I can remember him as a very young boy with his dad encouraging him, running up the steep bit of the drive when he had started running competitively.
“To go all the way from local junior foot-racing to the pinnacle of the sport – the Olympics – is absolutely fantastic. The support he gets from west Cumbrians, particularly those on Milton Drive in Workington, will be second to none.”
The world record for the 800 metres is 1 minute 40.91 seconds while in June Dustin broke Seb Coe’s Under-23 British record in 1 minute 43.82 to become the fifth fastest on Britain’s all-time list.
Dustin earned his place at the Olympics by finishing second to Elliot Giles at the British Championship on June 27.
The heats for the 800 metres in Tokyo are being held on Saturday with the semi-finals on Sunday and the final on Wednesday.
