THE long road to Olympic selection has been navigated by Tweed swimmer Matt Abood, who will make his much awaited Olympic debut at the Rio Games at the ripe old age of 30.

After claiming a 4x100m freestyle relay spot and an individual 50m freestyle swim, Abood put the heartbreak of missing out on a London 2012 berth by an agonising 0.02 seconds in the 50m freestyle, and a missed berth in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to take the blocks in Rio.

It's been quite a journey for Abood, who after being born in Sydney, found his place at the Kingscliff Swimming Club after his family moved to the Tweed.

A gentle giant, Abood is known as one of the genuine nice guys of elite sport and loves returning to the Tweed.

He secured his place in Rio with a blistering swim in the 50m freestyle at the Australian Swimming Trials in April, while a 100m freestyle time of 48.89 (Abood's fastest in three years) was enough to secure a spot in Australia's famed 4x100m freestyle relay team.

After missing out on London, Abood almost quit the sport, but a move to Canberra to train under Shannon Rollason reignited his passion for one last shot at his Olympic dream.

Abood has developed a career out of the pool and with plenty of improvement in it, is peaking at the right time.

Abood will be the oldest member of the Dolphins team and one of the oldest debutantes in Olympic swimming history.

Matt Abood facts:

• Events: 4x100m Freestyle Relay, 50m Freestyle
• Nickname: Boody
• Height: 197cm
• Weight: 92kg
• Age: 30

Watch Matt live in Rio:

• Day Two: Monday, August 8, 4x100m freestyle. Heats from 2am, finals from 11am
• Day Six: Friday, August 12, 50m freestyle. Heats from 2am, finals from 11am
• Keep up to date with viewing schedules at: https://7rio2016.com.au/coverage