WALES captain Luke Treharne is refusing to give up on his dream of finally becoming an Olympian despite the postponement of this year's Games in Tokyo.

The 27-year-old, who is closing in on Luke Morgan's national record for points in the World Rugby Sevens Series, was in Rio four years ago.

However, the playmaker was 13th man and only backed up the squad, including Brynmawr's Sam Cross, who won silver.

"When I got back from Brazil four years ago I said to myself 'never again'," said Treharne.

"It was just a strange experience from start to finish. You would have thought it would have been amazing, but we weren't allowed accreditation because we weren't part of the 12-man squad.

"We weren't allowed in the Olympic village, we couldn't travel on official transport and we were holed up in a flat in Rio with the two reserves for the women's team.

"We had to cook our own food, do our own washing and make our way in taxis every day to training.

"When we got there, we had to show our passports to gain entry to the complex in a process that took about 20 minutes every time.

"The taxis were a nightmare. It took us up to two hours every day to get to training – and then a similar journey back to our digs at the end of the day.

"When the games were on we weren't allowed to mingle with the team, and had to sit in the stand.

"On the third and final day of action, the rules stated that once the first game had been played we could no longer be called on.

"Once we got past that stage we were free to enjoy a few beers. It was a long day, especially as we got the chance to cheer on the team into the final."

South Wales Argus:

For two months after Rio, Treharne was adamant he would never put himself through that again. Four years on, he has changed his mind.

With 40 World Series tournaments behind him with Wales, and a medical career on hold while he follows his dreams, he is prepared to hang around for another year to try to earn the right to call himself an Olympian.

"What really hurt last time was that I went up to Trafalgar Square for a British Olympic Association gathering and they made a big song and dance about this being the moment you became an Olympian. They handed out certificates to everyone, but stopped at No 12 in the sevens squad," said Treharne.

"I may have spent all that time in Rio, trained with the squad every day and been ready for a call-up, but I never became an Olympian. And we weren't included when they handed out the medals.

"That's what has kept me going, really. The desire to finally become an Olympian. I'm only 27, so I think I can go for another and then reassess what I'm going to go with the rest of my life.

"It was undoubtedly the right decision to postpone this year's Games. They were just about to announce the Team GB training squad and who knows what is going to happen to the final four rounds of this season's World Series?"

Treharne is just 80 points behind try machine Morgan's record of 655 in the World Series while he needs to cross the line just two more times to leap from fourth to second in the try chart.