After two generations of under-achievement, it took Britain's women swimmers just over four glorious minutes to rid themselves of the age-old tag of Olympic pool bridesmaids, as Rebecca Adlington became our first champion for nearly half a century - with the unlikely pleasure of hugging another Briton on the podium.

At the space-age Water Cube aquatic centre, the sight of bronze medallist Jo Jackson hugging the giggling 19-year-old champion Adlington following their heroics in the 400 metres freestyle really did make it feel like a brand new era had also opened up for British swimming.

In one swoop, the pair had ensured Britain's entire medal tally in the pool at the Athens Games was matched.

Indeed, in the poolside press seats, it left the most venerable and respected figure in the media corps to feel close to tears as she watched Adlington become of Team GB's youngest-ever champions.

For Anita Lonsbrough, the veteran correspondent of the Daily Telegraph who celebrated her 67th birthday yesterday, this had been a long time coming, the sight of a British woman atop the podium for the first time since she had the honour back in the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

"Delight for Rebecca but also relief," said Anita, admitting her emotion that the eternal wait was over, 48 years on from her 200m breaststroke win. Yet even she may have just been a little taken aback by the fact that it was the bubbly teenager Adlington who broke the drought. Not because the 19-year-old from Mansfield hasn't long been touted as one of the most exciting swimmers in the country but because this wasn't actually her best event.

Adlington's main assault on gold was expected to be in the 800m freestyle event, the marathon of the women's programme, the heats of which begin on Thursday, but here she demonstrated all her exceptional strength and stamina to produce one of the great final lengths to plough back from fourth to first in the space of just 50 metres.

Where did that remarkable burst come from? "It was that medal round my neck which motivated me," smiled the girl who swims at the Nova Centurion club in Nottingham.

She had seen that American Katie Hoff had held a decisive advantage going into the last length and just said to herself that she had to be the target. "I just thought 'let's try to keep with her and catch her'.

Still, it seemed almost an impossible ask. Adlington, who had been lying in the seventh with three lengths left, had managed to claw back to fifth with 100m to go and was fourth at the final turn but at that point, Jackson, a 21-year-old from Northampton, looked the better bet for a medal as she lay second.

But Adlington's timing was perfect, powering up the final length in under 30 seconds, touching in 4min 03.22sec, just seven hundredths of a second ahead of the American, as Jackson narrowly pipped strong-finishing French swimmer Coralie Balmy for bronze.

The two Brits in adjacent lanes looked incredulous as they glanced at the clock and then began hugging each other. "Both of us are naturally suited to coming on strong at the back end of the race so neither of us panicked when we were behind after the first 100," explained Adlington.

But there's no question that, having beaten such swimming legends here as Franchwoman Laure Manaudou, who trailed home last, Adlington will be hot favourite when she goes for gold in the 16-length event.

Though it is her number one event, it's also the one she admits she "hates with a vengeance" because it is so tough.

Sensibly, though, she was already trying to play down the expectation, insisting: "I don't know about the double because the 800 is a competely different event - but I'm really confident going into it, so it's really about getting as much recovery and rest as I can in the next few days."

No wonder Adlington, who describes herself as "opinionated, bubbly and dedicated" and is immensely popular with her team-mates, seemed to be reduced to a fit of giggles as she waited for the ceremony afterwards. She admitted they were laughs of incredulity, thinking of how, after a 24-year wait to find the first British woman medallist since Sarah Hardcastle in Los Angeles, two suddenly emerged in the same race.

"I think this is the best British team we've ever had and we're just getting stronger and stronger. We've proved we're a nation to look out for now," said Adlington, and many other performances from her team-mates today suggested this is becoming no idle boast.

Florida-based Gemma Spofforth was another Brit to make a final as she qualified for the 100m backstroke, finishing third in her semi, although Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry will inhabit a different league in the final after breaking the world record in 58.77sec.

Two British men also made finals, Robbie Renwick in the 200m freestyle and Liam Tancock in the 100m backstroke, while Jemma Lowe finished sixth in a 100m butterfly final won by Australia's Libby Trickett and the men's 4x100m relay squad ended up eighth in their final.