Olympic-bound swimmer felt pure relief after record

Oliver Morgan said he had no idea how many messages he had received after Wednesday's success

A swimmer who qualified for the Olympics said it was "just pure relief" when he realised he had broken the British 100m backstroke record.

Oliver Morgan's success at the British Championships in London booked his place in Paris this summer.

The 20-year-old, from Ludlow, Shropshire. clocked 52.70 seconds to retain his title and break the previous record set 15 years ago.

Morgan said training had been "really tough", including going to a camp in Thailand and being at university.

"For it all to come together and it to be pretty much a perfect swim, breaking the record, it was [a relief]... and knowing I've booked that ticket to Paris, it's gonna take that pressure off the rest of the week."

The University of Birmingham swimmer will also feature in the 200m backstroke on Sunday.

'Wake body up'

He added: "My phone's been going pretty crazy, so [I've] just been trying to limit it almost... The focus is on Sunday and then it'll be replying to everyone."

The swimmer's Olympic memories include sprinter Usain Bolt retaining his 100m title in London in 2012.

"You can almost like imagine what it could feel like [for him], so yeah that's what gets you out of bed to train and you're chasing those days where, for instance, [I break] the British record."

Morgan said a "really good team" at the University of Birmingham was "driving me through"

Asked what hurts the most after such a race, Morgan replied "definitely I would say my legs".

He said: "Most days waking up in the morning... you're struggling to even get out of bed you're that sore and then getting in the pool at 7am trying to wake your body up."

Morgan also said: "We have a really good team at Birmingham university and that's what's really driving me through.

"That kind of atmosphere... helps you push each day, no matter how you're feeling."