Luke Greenbank has had to put his Olympic dream on ice for four years. But the teenager has already set his sights on Tokyo 2020 after becoming British champion in Glasgow.

The 18-year-old won the 200m backstroke gold at the 2016 British Swimming Championships yesterday, which also doubled up as the Olympic trials for Rio this summer.

His time of 1:57.79 was a couple of seconds outside the demanding qualifying standards for Rio, meaning that Greenbank will have to wait four more years to get his first Olympic experience.

But he admitted that a trip to Brazil this summer was always going to be a long shot.

He said: “It was a good race, a little bit off the time I was hoping for but I can’t complain. It’s been a long week so I’m pleased with the result.

“I’m really pleased to be British champion. It’s still a good time and I think my third best-ever, so I can’t complain at all.

“If I had knocked a second or so off I might have been within the two percent consideration time, so it’s a little bit disappointing but you can’t get too hung up on it.

“Tokyo was probably a more realistic expectation," he said.

“It would be great to have gone this year but I’m not sure the time I just did will get me on the team.

“Tokyo is definitely the main aim.”

While Greenbank will not be part of the team in Rio, he will almost certainly join the British team at next month’s European Aquatics Championships in London.

The European Aquatics Championships will be the biggest event held at the London Aquatics Centre since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and will represent the last chance to see Great British athletes in action before they fly to Rio.

And for Greenbank, it will mean a return to the London pool where he got his first taste of Olympic trials four years ago, and raced alongside idol James Goddard.

He added: “Hopefully, I get a chance to be on the European team. That would be a really good experience. It’s a great pool to swim in and I really enjoy swimming there so, hopefully, I will get the chance to swim there again.

“Four years ago I went to the Olympic trials as a 14-year-old but then watching the Olympics, I really enjoyed that, as a home Olympics. At that time James Goddard was at the top of my event in this country so he’s always been my inspiration.

“I used to go down to Stockport quite a few times and got the chance to train with him a few times which was really good. He’s a really nice guy.”

* Tickets for the European Aquatics Championships – the biggest event to be held at the London Aquatics Centre since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games – from May 9-22 are now available here: www.euroaquatics2016.london