'Outsider' Tancock is first Brit to grab a gold

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Tancock, who set a long-course world record for 50 metres backstroke at last week's Olympic trials, smashed the European record in the 100m backstroke by the massive margin of 0.44 seconds in a time of 50.14secs. Only two men have ever swum faster.

Tancock, 22, was 17th in the event at the last championships. He qualified as the slowest for the final this time, relegating him to the eighth and outside lane, not a place from which many power to victory.

He said: "I guess it will sink in in a few days. From lane eight, I don't think anybody was expecting it. But this is pretty much just a stepping stone. Everything this year is about the Olympics.

"I was definitely inspired by last night's performances when we were just off two gold medals. I hope this inspires others in the team now."

Kate Haywood, a member of Britain's European gold medalwinning medley relay squad this month, missed out on her own individual triumph but it took a world record to beat her in the 50m breaststroke.

Haywood, 21, could not complain at a silver this time. She touched third behind world record-breaking American Jessica Hardy and Russian Yuliya Efimova but the latter was disqualified for a faulty start.

Fran Halsall celebrates her 18th birthday on Saturday but she may come of age the day before with two finals, two possible medals and the best of launch pads for her Olympic debut in August.

Three times on Thursday the girl from Stockport left British records in tatters, twice in the 100m freestyle and once in the 50m butterfly, an event she entered for a laugh. The 100m freestyle was first to go when she shaved 0.02 from it with a time of 53.24, the fastest of the qualifiers for the semi-finals.

A record that had lasted nine years lasted nine hours until she improved it to 53.20 in the semis. Again she was the fastest qualifier.

The 50m butterfly was her second of the morning, reduced to a time of 26.10. And that amused her.

"To be honest, I went into the 'fly for a bit of a giggle," she said. "I haven't done it short course before, I don't even have an entry time and I thought it would be a laugh going head to head with Jemma (Lowe), who was in the next lane."

If Halsall is the future, Mark Foster is recreating the past at 37. He qualified for a chance in Friday's 50m freestyle final to win a seventh world shortcourse title in a time of 21.32, easily the fastest of the semi-finalists.