Oliver Dustin crashed out of the Olympic 800m and then spoke for the first time of the devastating impact of over a false positive doping test on the eve of the Games.

Days before travelling to Tokyo the Workington runner was found to have returned traces of cocaine in a drug test, later cleared of any sanctions after the sample was found to have been cross-contaminated.

It may not have caused Dustin’s exit at the first hurdle of his Olympic debut but it certainly didn’t help. Despite it all the 20-year-old insists he’s stronger for the experience.

“It was hard to process something that was so wrong, and I can’t say too much but it was a massive injustice against me and as an athlete that’s the last thing you expect to happen,” he said.

“It’s difficult, it was difficult to be at such an emotional low point and then think I’m going to the Olympic Games now.

“But I am much stronger for it and its taught me a lot about the sport and I’m going to be here for a long time, so I’ll speak to you a lot over the next couple of years, but it’s made me much stronger as a person and as an athlete.”

Dustin produced a searing sprint finish to come second at the British Olympic Trials in June and seal a spot alongside Elliot Giles and Dan Rowden in Team GB for Tokyo.

His two team-mates qualified but the 1:43.82 star never looked like staying with the four frontrunners in the second heat that include Bosnian Amel Tuka.

He was sixth at the bell and couldn’t produce a kick to bridge the gap, finishing in 1:46.94 which saw him stay in sixth position and some way away from qualifying as a lucky loser.

It was an unfortunate end to a whirlwind of an outdoor season for the Whitehaven-born athlete, who went sixth on the British all-time list and broke the national U23 record in Nice in June.

“I just didn’t have it today, I don’t know why it wasn’t there,” said Dustin.

“I don’t think I’ve had anything wrong coming in here – training camp went well, odd little niggle but nothing major. Off the top of my head, nothing.

“I’ve done everything I can, and it wasn’t there today. And that’s the way this sport goes.

“You can be on top of the world one day and it’ll kick you in the teeth the next. I have learned from it, and I’ll be back, I’ll definitely be back stronger. It’s only going to make me hungrier.”

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