By John Connell

Last updated at 09:00, Saturday, 23 June 2012

A Carlisle water polo player’s experience as a torch bearer has whetted his appetite for Olympic glory.

Matthew Grieve

Matthew Grieve, 19, carried the Olympic torch through his hometown on Wednesday and was inspired by the support and adulation of the crowds.

The talented athlete is set to miss London 2012, with selection for the men’s water polo team unlikely.

However, witnessing the support on the roadside in Carlisle has raised his hopes for Rio de Janeiro in four years time.

He said: “It was an unbelievable experience. I can’t put it into words really but I wish everyone could have that experience.

“Everyone was dotted along the pavement and my brother was running alongside me. The whole thing was better than I had expected.

“I feel proud but it didn’t really hit me until I got home later and was sat in the living room with the Olympic Torch we get to keep in my lap.”

Grieve, a member of Carlisle Water Polo and Swim Team and a regular under-19 international, faces a tough task to force his way into the GB men’s high performance squad in Manchester over the next 12 months.

Even if he does make it, there’s no guarantee of funding. Britain’s men had not qualified for the Olympics since 1956 – and only did so this summer because of their host team status.

Matthew said: “I have got a lot of tough decisions to make, and I will spend the summer weighing up the pros and cons of pursuing my international dream in Manchester. It is all up in the air at the moment.”

Matthew is a member of the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes programme. He said: “We will have to qualify against other European teams, which will be difficult because European teams are the best in the world at water polo.

“Competition will be strong.

“But if we keep improving at the rate we are now and funding keeps coming in we may have a chance.

“It would be great to be a part of that and there is no reason why I can’t.

“But the decision may be taken out of my hands because funding may be dropped, unless Britain does better than expected at London 2012.”

First published at 08:56, Saturday, 23 June 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk