David Davies lifted the cloud hanging over the British team by qualifying fastest for the final of the 1,500metres freestyle in Athens.

Having lost an appeal against the re-instatement of America's 200m backstroke winner Aaron Peirsol, therefore denying James Goddard a bronze medal, team officials and the British Olympic Association were meeting today to decide whether to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Davies put all the controversy firmly behind him, however, to break his own British record in Friday morning's heats with a time of 14 minutes 57.03 seconds.

That was 0.90secs quicker than the mark he set at the Olympic trials in April and also only the second time anyone had gone under 15 minutes in the heats of a major championship.

Davies has been a revelation since concentrating fully on the distance since the Commonwealth Games in Manchester two years ago, and the 19-year-old from Cardiff was hugely impressive as he led from start to finish.

Team-mate Graeme Smith also qualified from the same heat, his time of 15:07.45 the seventh fastest overall, just ahead of Craig Stevens.

Stevens is best known as the man who stepped down from the 400m freestyle in order to let Ian Thorpe swim his favourite event after the 'Thorpedo' had false-started by falling into the pool in the Australian trials.

Defending champion and world record holder Grant Hackett was content to finish second in the final heat in 15:01.89 behind Russia's Yuri Prilukov, who clocked 15:01.02 to be the second fastest qualifier.

Davies, who was fourth at the World Championships in Barcelona last year, said: "It felt really good.

"I was the last guy to swim in the team so I have been itching to swim all week.

"I got in this morning and felt great. I am really surprised at the time but it's a nice surprise.

"I think going under 15 minutes in the heats has only been done once before so it was a big surprise.

"Hopefully I can go faster tomorrow. I have got nothing to lose."

Davies was indeed only the second swimmer to go under 15 minutes in the heats.

Smith, who had been Britain's last medallist until Stephen Parry's bronze in the 200m butterfly earlier this week, added: "It's the best time I've done this year and a morning swim as well.

"There were five or six great guys in our heat and my main aim was to make sure I was in the top two or three.

"Looking to the final, Dave is obviously in great shape, Grant is obviously up for a medal as well, but I think anyone who makes it into the final has got a chance of a medal of some colour."