Ellen Gandy’s Olympic dream is over after she failed to progress beyond the heats of the 200m butterfly this morning.

The Bromley-born competitor looked in a strong position at the final turn, leading the field with just 50m to go.

But the 20-year-old appeared to tire on the home stretch and was ultimately forced to settle for a fifth place finish in Heat Three, leaving her with a nervous wait as the remaining competitors went in the final heat.

However, her time of 2.09.92 was ultimately not quick enough, meaning Jemma Lowe was the only Brit to progress into tonight’s semi finals.

Gandy had finished eighth in the 100m butterfly final two days ago and looked well placed to go for a medal in front of a home crowd.

In February she posted the fourth fastest time of the year when she swam 2.05.95 in Sydney and also holds the seventh quickest of all time (2.04.83).

But the Australia-based competitor, who won silver at last year’s World Championships and bronze at both the Commonwealth Games and European Championships, was at a loss to explain what happened.

“I felt okay to start off with but after 100m I felt like I had been hit by a truck,” she said.

“I’ve been feeling fine and there are no health issues. I just don’t know what happened.”