STEPHANIE Proud ripped up the form book to claim 200m backstroke gold at the British Gas Championships and book her ticket to Shanghai this summer.

The former European Junior champion clocked 2:09.41minutes to leave European champion Lizzie Simmonds and world 100m backstroke gold medallist Gemma Spofforth trailing in her wake at the Manchester Aquatics Centre.

Prior to the race all the talk had been about the Spofforth versus Simmonds showdown but neither could keep pace with Proud, finishing second and fifth respectively.

And with her place on the plane to this summer's World Championships now confirmed Proud was beaming from ear to ear as she prepared to collect a long overdue gold medal.

"I'm so happy. I've just missed out so many times before so it feels fantastic to make the qualifying time and to win it," said Proud.

"I came here with a lot of confidence because I've been swimming really well recently. I've been over to Australia and up to Loughborough, I've been everywhere really and I knew I was capable of a performance like that.

"A lot of people ask me if it's intimidating to swim against Lizzie and Gemma but it really isn't. They're fantastic swimmers and fantastic girls but I'm just really happy.

"Even though it was good enough to qualify I really don't think the time was that fast. I think there's another two seconds to come off that.

"It might have been only about half-a-second off my best without the suits but I don't think the suits have affected me that much and I know I can go a lot quicker than that."

Meanwhile, double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington completed a golden hat-trick in Manchester last night - romping to 800m freestyle gold to add to her 200m and 400m victories.

Poolside murmurs hinted her world record, set en route to Olympic gold in Beijing, was in danger but while she her British rivals out of the water that will have to wait.

Not that she was in the slightest bit bothered. For that was set in the lightning fast Water Cube and before polyurethane became prohibited - still Adlington's winning time was 8:20.23 minutes was too hot for the rest to handle.

Adlington thrives when she races the clock rather than her rivals. Just as she did in Beijing, she streaked clear of the field last night and ate up all 16 lengths of the Manchester Aquatics Centre pool.

"It wasn't an easy race because some of the other British girls are very strong and I expected it to be close than it was," said Adlington.

"I had a little look at my time at the halfway stage and thought I was going a bit quickly but it's not always easy when you're out there on your own."

Jaz Carlin trailed home a full 5.44 seconds adrift while Keri-Anne Payne completed the podium in third but Adlington was in a league of her own and will now set about righting her World Championship wrongs.

"Hopefully it will be third time lucky in Shanghai," added Adlington, who could only manage two bronze medals at teary 2009 World Championships in Rome while in 2007 she was dazzled by the limelight and missed the podium completely.

"I'm just looking forward to getting out there and racing. Without the suits I don't really think anyone is interested in times, I'm certainly not."

The nation's leading energy supplier British Gas is the principal partner of British Swimming, and is supporting the sport at all levels, from grass roots to our elite athletes. Visit www.britishgas.co.uk/swimming