European Championships: Jazz Carlin takes 800m freestyle gold

Jazz Carlin won Great Britain's fourth gold medal in the pool at the European Championships with a blistering swim in the 800m freestyle.

The Welsh swimmer touched home well ahead of Spain's Mireia Belmonte Garcia in a new personal best time of 8:15.54.

"I can't believe it, coming off the back of the Commonwealth Games and to do a PB as well," Carlin said.

Ross Murdoch, meanwhile, lost out in his 200m breaststroke battle, taking silver behind Germany's Marco Koch.

Those medals were added to by a silver for Aimee Willmott in the 200m individual medley, while there were bronzes for Georgia Davies in the 100m backstroke and Chris Walker-Hebborn in the 50m backstroke.

Team GB are top of the medal table with 15. Their previous best total at a European Championships is 18 medals, which included six golds in 2010.

Carlin, who became the first Welsh woman to win a Commonwealth swimming gold for 40 years, entered her European final as the fastest qualifier.

Belmonte Garcia made the quicker start before the Brit powered through to win by 5.68 seconds, setting a new championships record in the process.

"It was optional for us to come to the Europeans and this is why I wanted to come," said Carlin, who knocked more than 2.5 seconds off her previous best time.

"I still have the drive and determination to go faster."

Commonwealth champion Murdoch finished his final three tenths of a second behind German world silver medallist Koch.

"I'm absolutely delighted, it's my first European Championships and it's been a long season for me," said Murdoch.

"To come here and PB again after the Commonwealth Games was a tough ask. But I've swum my best and I've had the season of my life."

Murdoch, who also won European 100m breaststroke silver, admits his success this year has taken him by surprise, and it has led to a change in mindset for him.

"For me it's still all a bit of a shock," he said. "I've sat down with people at British Swimming and we've reassessed and set some new goals."