HE WAS abandoned as a child, chased from his London flat and left to sleep on the streets, but Scots-raised Joel Hodgson is within sight of competing at Glasgow 2014.

Determined to make the grade, the 26-year-old must shave half a second off his 400m qualifying time in order to represent his native Belize at this summer's Commonwealth Games.

Mr Hodgson's story has taken him around the globe, and has been laden with obstacles which would have deterred more than most.

At a young age, he and his two sisters were adopted by Scottish couple George and Shona Hodgson and moved to Renton, near Dumbarton.

At 21, he left home with his girlfriend and headed for London. However, the couple's flat was soon targeted by thieves and they were too scared to stay.

Mr Hodgson then found himself wandering the streets of London at night looking for a place to sleep.

But a brief spell as a Big Issue vendor secured a concession at a city law firm. He was then offered an internship and before long he was nominated by his co-workers to carry the Olympic torch last summer.

And after what he described as the proudest day of his life, Mr Hodgson met up with the Belize athletics team where his talent was quickly spotted.

Now, he remains within distance of his dream, set to be realised on Scottish soil.

He said: "It would be pretty special to represent Belize, especially in Glasgow as it's about 20 miles from where I grew up.

"I've got my eye on qualifying at a race in a few weeks,"

"My aim is to inspire the next generation. That's more important than where I finish. Just getting there would be good enough."