COLCHESTER sprint ace Charlie Dobson has received another boost after being named on the British Athletics Futures Programme.

The 18-year-old is one of 26 athletes selected for the Olympic programme, which runs for 12 months from this Saturday (December 1) until November 30, 2019.

Dobson, who last year was part of the Futures relay programme, has now been promoted to the individual event in the 200 metres where he has excelled over recent years.

It marks a positive end to what has been an excellent year for the Colchester sprinter, who was a world under-20 silver medallist over 200m for Great Britain at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships in Tampere this summer.

The Olympic programme, supported by Nike, aims to highlight athletes that have the potential to win medals at future Olympic and Paralympic Games, World and European Championships, along with those that have the potential to progress onto the World Class Programme in the next cycle.

The programme has been redeveloped from previous years, with the focus on supporting aspects of the athletes/coaches 2018-19 Individual Athlete Plan.

It provides athletes with the opportunities to develop the skills and abilities required for senior international success, through a series of camps and experiences.

Dobson, along with the other athletes on the programme, will be assigned a British Athletics Point of contact, whose role is to understand where the programme can support and add value, and identify conditions necessary to make progress throughout the year.

His inclusion on the programme follows on from the Colchester sprinter being backed by British Athletics' Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) for the 2018/19 season.

He is one of a group of talented performance pathway athletes to receive support from the scheme, a funded partnership with Sport England.

The scheme is designed to help English athletes grow through a sustainable dual career pathway as they make the transition from youth to senior athletics, helping them maximise their potential whilst continuing their education.

Dobson, who is coached by Steve Garnham at Harriers, has just started at Loughborough University having got the grades needed to study Aeronautical Engineering.