The swimmer from Swansea was the first of the Brits to reach the podium on day two of competition after successfully defending his title in the S7 100 metres freestyle in a tough race that included two of his own team mates.

 

It was a battle of nations with three home countries represented. Roberts went head to head with English rival Matt Walker and Scotland's Andrew Lindsay, but kept his form to take the title in 1min 02.13sec.

 

Walker was beaten to the second spot by America's Lantz Lamback and finished in bronze position in 1:06.49 while Lindsay was sixth in 1:09.82.

 

"It was important for me to come here and win tonight," said Roberts. "It's not been the greatest of years for me with injury and illness so it was good to finish on top.

 

"I'm slightly disappointed with my time, which is odd to say when I've just been crowned champion, but it shows the standards we're aiming at with this team.

 

"I knew I was able to win and I wanted to lower my world record, but the important thing about the World Championships is to come first and I managed that today."

 

In the S6 100m Freestyle, Natalie Jones (Colchester Phoenix) smashed a six-year-old British record to win silver in 1:21.59 behind Dormitzi Gonzalez of Mexico who was first in 1:21.34.

 

"I'm so pleased to have medalled in this event," said Jones. "I would have liked the gold, but it was always going to be a tough task so I'm really happy.

 

"I wasn't thinking about the record going into the event but I'm so chuffed to get it. I did a 1:22 at the World Cup so I knew I had it in me."

 

In the same event 12-year-old Eleanor Simmonds, the youngest athlete ever to be part of a senior British swimming squad, reached the final and finished seventh in a massive personal best time of 1:27.64.

 

There was surprise for Horwich Leisure Centre's Rachael Latham who was awarded bronze in the S8 100m Butterfly after China's Shengnan Jiang was disqualified. Jessica Long of the USA dominated the field and knocked three and a half seconds off the World record to bring it to 1:13.25 and Latham swam home to a personal best and new European record of 1:20.01.

 

"I really wanted to go 1:19 but I just set a personal best and a new European record so I can't ask for more than that," she said. "This event is so competitive at the moment and Jess Long has improved so much this year."

 

There was disappointment for City of Sheffield's James Crisp who had to settle for bronze in his number one event and wave goodbye to his world record.

 

In yet another fast race, America's Jarrett Perry took the record from Crisp, lowering it to 1:03.91. Matt Cowdrey of Australia won silver in 1:04.61 and Crisp took bronze in 1:05.68.