WATER polo star Glen Robinson’s Olympic dream has been given a huge boost after the British Olympic Association confirmed Great Britain’s water polo team would be assured a place in the 2012 Games in London.

The 22-year-old international ace from Kendal has been developing his game overseas for the past three years to ensure he is at the top of his form next summer.

“It is fantastic and the best news I have heard this year,” said Robinson.

“It is what we have all been waiting for and training really hard towards and everything has paid off.

“It has been a dream for all of us and slowly it has become more realistic.

“We will represent the host nation and we want to do everyone proud.”

Robinson is playing for the Adelaide Jets where he trains two or three times a day.

He added: “It hasn’t been an easy road and it’s a relief that it hasn’t been for nothing. We have our chance now and that motivation means we will give it 100 per cent.”

For proud parents Carole and Ian, of Mintsfeets Road, it marks the final furlong of a long journey, which started with Glen wanting to go fishing with his dad aged six.

Carole said: “Now he has just got to get that place and make sure he is on the team. We have our fingers crossed he has no injuries and he can secure his place.

“Ian told him that if he wanted to learn fishing he had to learn to swim first - so he started swimming lessons.

“Six years later, Glen became the number one swimmer in the county for his age, and after an opportunity to play water polo, he was hooked.

“He did well for Kendal and then moved on to Lancaster, where he was selected for the England Youth squad.”

At 18 he was in the England team which won the Home Nations and has been in the GB team since.

Carole added: “There have been a lot of sacrifices to get him this far and we even had our mortgage in arrears at one point, but Glen appearing at the Games would make it all worthwhile.”

l Glen’s brother Marc, 19, was also in the GB ranks at junior level, but a lack of funding meant the team was cut. Marc has just passed his ASA level 2 coaching qualifi-cations and is a coach with Kendal Water Polo’s junior team.