The 2008 Olympics may be over but the 2012 dream for one young sportsman is still going strong thanks to a cash donation.

Teenager rower Alex Torbica, from Downswood, Maidstone, was presented with a £5,000 cheque from Fremlin Walk bosses to help pay for a new, much needed single scull boat.

The 6ft 5.5ins Maidstone Grammar School oarsmen, who rows for Maidstone Invicta Rowing Club, first got into the sport because of his height.

After deciding football and rugby were not for him, a friend suggested he took advantage of being tall and give rowing a try.

From the moment he stepped into a boat, his club recognised a natural talent and persuaded him to stick with the sport.

Now grit, determination and hard work have propelled him to the top flights of junior rowing in the UK.

His proud mother Claire Torbica said: “I keep having to pinch myself. A few years ago he was just rowing along the Medway.

“He is a very dedicated young man who seems to be able to cope with all the pressure and still do well at school.”

Indeed the Olympic hopeful has just gained four As in his AS exams and hopes to gain a place at Cambridge to study chemical engineering when he finishes school next summer.

Mr Torbica said she was very grateful for the support shown by Fremlin Walk.

“It was very generous of them.” she said. “It is good that a local lad is being helped by a local community.

“I am a single mum and the cost of getting him as far as we have has been horrendous. This money means the boat is paid for and we can pay for all the other things he needs.”