Great Broughton swimmer Luke Greenbank struggled to put his finger on what went wrong as he failed to match his heat performance in the World Swimming Championships 200m backstroke semi-final.

The Brit, who was making his first appearance at a major global championships in Budapest yesterday, appeared to be taking it in his stride as he cruised through his heats at the Duna Arena and equalled a season’s best time of 1:57.67 to reach the semi-finals ranked 10th.

But the semi-final proved to be a different affair as the 19-year-old toiled out in lane two, touching the wall nearly a second slower than his morning swim in 1:58.50.

That left him 13th fastest and out of contention for today’s medal race, although it would have required a personal best for him to make the final.

Greenbank felt it was a missed opportunity to progress as he had felt good in the water.

He said: “I was really pleased with the morning swim to make it through to the semi-final.

“I felt good in that semi but obviously I wasn’t going as fast as I thought.

"It’s very frustrating on that front.

“Perhaps I got a bit carried away with the atmosphere with the crowd cheering the two Hungarians.

“I just thought I was on for a good swim tonight but I don’t know what happened.

“It’s a very different environment to what I’m used to racing back home.

"It’s frustrating.”

The former Cockermouth swimmer trains under Mel Marshall at the National Centre in Loughborough.

He was one of 14 members of the British squad making their first appearances at the World Swimming Championships.

And with the ultimate aim of one day swimming at an Olympic Games, he was keen to see the disappointment as a vital stepping stone.

“I can take a lot away from this experience though and work on it for the future,” he added.

“It’s been really good being out here.

"With the team doing so well, it’s been amazing to watch.

“There’s the likes of Ben (Proud) and Adam (Peaty) winning their golds.

"It does make you want to perform well for the team.

“I’ve got a little bit of a break now over the summer and then I’ll come back in September and see what comes up next year.”

Earlier this month, Greenbank bagged bronze for Great Britain at the 2017 Sette Colli International in Rome.

In April, he clocked 1:57.67 to retain the British 200m backstroke title in Sheffield but was shy of consideration target for the championships in Budapest this July.

But his win and his future potential meant he gained selection at the discretion of the GB head coach and national performance director.

Greenbank has been a part of the national Target Tokyo 2020 squad.

l You can help the next generation of young British swimmers by getting involved in SportsAid Week this September with five-time Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds OBE.

Find out more about how you can support the week of fun and fundraising by visiting www. sportsaid.org.uk/sportsaidweek