IN three weeks’ time, Dale Garland (pictured) will be living the Olympic dream. Or he hopes he will be. The 27-year-old Sarnian has just arrived at Great Britain’s training camp in Macau, southern China, for the Beijing Olympics which starts with a lavish opening ceremony on Friday.

Garland has been selected for Britain’s 4x400m relay team which will fly to the Games just before the event’s heats and final on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 August. He will be one of 313 British Olympians in China and the first Sarnian to compete in athletics at the Olympics.

‘To be honest when I was young I never thought that I would have the opportunity [to go to the Olympics],’ said Garland on Friday. ‘Five years ago I started improving and then I thought I could do it. It’s a dream come true. It’s definitely exciting. I’m at the airport at the moment wearing my Great Britain tracksuit and people are wishing me good luck.

‘It’s a bit different but it’s going to be a brilliant experience.’