Simon Burnett showed he has made a remarkable recovery from his recent hand injury as he set a new English short course record for the 100m backstroke leading off the Arizona university 400m medley relay at the NCAA championships. Burnett’s time of 52.81 lowered Martin Harris’s old mark of 53.15 but was still just under a second shy of Gregor Tait’s British record of 51.88.

Nonetheless it marked a return to form and, in a boost to Britain’s 4×200 freestyle relay hopes, indicates that his particpation at next month’s Olympic trials is no longer in doubt. Burnett will defend his NCAA 200m freestyle title later this week.