By Bryn Palmer, Sydney

Britain's leading male swimmer Paul Palmer bowed out of Sydney in forlorn style when his ambitious attempt at the 1500 metre freestyle event ended in further disappointment.

The 25-year-old from Bath, who finished fifth in the 200m freestyle final but failed to qualify in the 400m freestyle where he won silver in Atlanta four years ago, trailed in seventh out of eight in his heat.

His time of 15:21.09 was nearly three seconds outside the qualifying time for the final in a heat won by Australia's Grant Hackett in 15:07.50.

Earlier, Hackett's compatriot Kieren Perkins, roared on by a partisan crowd at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre, ensured he will start favourite to claim a third successive gold medal with a hugely impressive swim of 14:58.34 to qualify fastest.

"I just don't have the experience to race guys like this, and I didn't have the trust in myself or the stamina to get out there with them at the start," said Palmer.

"After 500 or 600 metres I knew I was going to struggle to stay with them, but this event was always a shot to nothing really.

"If it had been anywhere other than at the end of the programme I wouldn't have done it."

After his run of medals at major championships in recent years, however, Palmer admitted that Sydney has proved a chastening experience.

"It's a pretty hollow meet for me," he added.

"I have come away with nothing and I normally expect a medal. It is the first time since Barcelona that I have had to deal with it, and I guess everybody has to go through it now and again.

"It is just a pretty bad time to pick it, unfortunately. But I have proved myself in the past - it just didn't go the way I planned here.

"I feel I have acquitted myself well in the face of adversity. I had a bad start in the 400m but I didn't quit and I got something out of it, because the relay and the individual 200m were pretty good."

Adam Faulkner, the 18-year-old from Nottingham competing in his first Olympics, also found the going tough in the fifth heat, finishing last in 15:39.86, 22 seconds behind his Games qualifying time.

"I was very nervous going into it," Faulkner said.

"I'll be right in four years and challenging for a medal. The stadium gets to you and I think the whole British team have suffered.

"I've been working 22 and 23 hours a week and it takes a lot out of you. I've also been doing my 'A' levels it ruins your social life."

There were more encouraging signs from the final two events of the morning session however, with both the women's and men's 4 x100m medley relay teams setting new British records to qualify for their respective finals on Saturday.

Susan Rolph, who had earlier failed to qualify for the 50m freestyle semi finals, helped the women's quartet of Katy Sexton, Heidi Earp and Karen Pickering to a best of 4:07.52, to qualify sixth fastest overall for the final, with Australia again the team to beat.

In the men's relay, Neil Willey, Darren Mew, James Hickman and Sion Brinn lowered the old British record of 3:40.73 by more than a second to 3:39.60, to qualify fifth fastest behind Germany, Hungary, United States and Australia.

Hickman, who swam the butterfly leg, was defiantly upbeat at the team's prospects of salvaging a medal in the final event of the swimming programme.

"Anything can happen," he insisted.

"The last time in Istanbul two teams got disqualified and the team that finished fifth ended up with a medal. If you are in it, you can win it."