Town's new Olympic hero makes his debut – as supporters cheer on from a big-screen showing in Shropshire

Oliver, from Bishop's Castle, but currently at the University of Birmingham, qualified comfortably for the semi-finals as one of the 16 fastest in the heats.

The 21-year-old will compete in the semi-finals this evening, looking to secure a place in Monday's final.

Back in his home town of Bishop's Castle the local sports centre, SpArC, organised a full day of events – including a massive screen to show the race, in Oliver's honour.

The leisure centre was actually where Oliver learned to swim, before progressing his swimming skills at Ludlow.

And they weren't disappointed as the crowd got to watch him earn his place in the semi-finals.

Among those cheering him on were Oliver's great aunt and uncle, Wendy and Dennis Howells – both in special 'Go Ollie' Olympic T-shirts.

Mrs Howells said it was great to see the community out backing Oliver, who is being supported in Paris by his parents and his sister.

She said it had been wonderful to watch his Olympic debut with others from the town – and that she was excited about getting back down to the big screen to watch his next race this evening.

She said: "It was great. He has been marvellous, he really has worked so hard, really hard."

She added: "It was great because everyone cheered when his name came up and when he was swimming, it was really great."

Swimming was not always the first choice for Oliver, who burst onto the scene by winning three titles at last year’s British Championships.

A keen footballer, he has also previously won medals on the national junior mountain biking circuit prior to the pandemic.

Mrs Howells said they were hugely proud of Oliver's achievements – and would be looking forward to see if he can go one step further this evening.