A medal-winning dragon boat crewman from County Durham hopes to make a splash for the Great Britain team in the sport’s spiritual home later this month.

Following summer success at a European nations event in the Czech Republic, Matt Oliver, from County Durham, has been called up to join the GB crew in an invitation World Cup in China.

Having won two silver and three bronze medals in the event in Prague, the Openreach broadband engineer from Spennymoor answered a call from Team GB’s selectors for the Chinese challenge.

He will soon be joining GB crew mates flying from Heathrow to Beijing to prepare for stiff competition from a dozen top dragon boat nations from across the globe.

(Image: Geoff Kitson) A member of the Durham-based Three Rivers Serpents Dragon Boat Club, the oldest in the country, he can often be seen in one of its two boats creating a spectacle for onlookers when they race in training on the River Wear in the city.

The club has successfully competed in events across the country organised by the British Dragon Boat Association and was last year crowned the country’s most improved team.

(Image: The Three Rivers Serpents DBC)The World Cup, staged by the International Dragon Boat Federation, is considered a step up from that in terms of the level of competition.

It takes place in Miluo City, 1,400 kilometres south of China’s capital, between October 25 and 27.

The 27-strong British team, made up of both male and female paddlers, will compete in six events.

Mr Oliver’s demanding training programme for his latest challenge picked up where he left off after his summer adventure in Europe.

In his own time at home, he has been paddling three times a week as well as committing to a further three nights of intensive gym work.

Additionally, he has been linking up with crew mates over recent weekends to be put through his paces by national coaches.

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He said: “The call from the selectors came out of the blue and offered me the chance of a lifetime which I could not turn down, not least because all expenses, including flights from Heathrow, are being met by the competition organisers.

“My training regime for the European event had been very demanding and it was fairly easy to pick up where I left off when I got the call from the British selectors to attend trials for the team being sent to China.”

Outside of the dragon boat, his other interests include open-water diving and martial arts, while, since its inception, he has also been heavily involved as a lead volunteer in Kynren’s spectacular award-winning historical re-enactments, witnessed by thousands each summer at Auckland Castle.