THE mantra was typically blunt, but this time it was not so much a presidential decree from Bill Sweetenham, the Great Britain performance director, as a chorus to which the entire sport knows it must sing along if progress is to continue this summer: Commonwealth Games, what Commonwealth Games? Next stop Europe.

Home nations teams won a record 15 titles among 36 medals in Melbourne last month but, after six days of trials in Sheffield where a Britain team of more that 40 swimmers took shape for the European Championships in Budapest in July, Sweetenham said: “It was a great result, but it’s done. There’s scope for a week or so break and then straight back in. Everyone understands that. Melbourne’ s gone and the Europeans are a taller order.”

Indeed they are. Where opposition was largely confined to four nations in Melbourne, in Hungary the Britain team will face 11 countries that finished ahead of them at the big events of the past two summers. The average number of medals they have won at the Europeans since 1927 is five. The best result, four golds among 11 medals in 1958, offers a happy omen: it unfolded in Budapest.

There were heartening signs all round here, not least the welcome return of James Goddard, the 2002 Commonwealth champion, who edged the 2004 champion, Gregor Tait, to win the 200 metres backstroke. Goddard, down on himself and others after finishing fourth at the Olympic Games in 2004, took a few too many breaks in 2005 and was in no fit state to race at trials for Melbourne last December. He returned, with spirit renewed, to a different world this week, one in which he finds himself Britain’s No 4, not the national record-holder, over 100 metres backstroke.

Then there are events in Shanghai to consider. At the World Short-Course Championships yesterday, Ryan Lochte, a 21-year-old from Florida, took 1.38sec off the world record over 200 metres backstroke to become the first man to race inside 1min 50sec, with a time of 1min 49.05sec, before getting the United States 4 x 100 metres medley relay off to a blistering start of 49.99sec, a world record and the first sub-50-second swim.

Beyond a bronze medal for Chris Cook, who won two golds in Melbourne, in the 50 metres breaststroke, there were no other British successes in Shanghai and Melanie Marshall and Caitlin McClatchey, respectively sixth and ninth over 200 metres freestyle yesterday, are clearly in need of that small break on offer.

Perhaps David Davies is, too. While Yuri Prilukov, of Russia, took the 1,500 metres crown in China in 14min 23.92sec, a European record, Davies, the Commonwealth champion, swam 15:03.43 over the long course in Sheffield.

He helped to draw Chris Alderton, an 18-year-old based on the Australian Gold Coast, to a best time of 15:18.55, inside selection target. Alderton is one of several new caps for Budapest, alongside Rebecca Adlington (400 and 800 metres freestyle), James Kirton (200 metres breaststroke) and Joe Roebuck (200 metres butterfly and 200 and 400 metres medley), who all recorded times that would have challenged for medals at past European Championships.

Meanwhile, the future is already here in the form of the Smart Track squad of teenagers who have experienced altitude training in Mexico, the US Open and World Cup tours. Jessica Dickons, 15, won her first senior British title, over 200 metres butterfly, in 2min 09.85sec, 0.02sec faster than the time in which Terri Dunning, second yesterday, won bronze in Melbourne. Francesca Halsall, 16 on Wednesday, took the 50 metres freestyle crown to go alongside silver medals over 200 metres freestyle, 50 metres backstroke and 200 metres medley, and Elizabeth Simmonds, 15, earned her first senior selection.

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