Freya Anderson's hopes of returning from the Olympics with a medal were dashed this morning in Tokyo.

The Wirral-born swimmer was competing in the first semi-final of the women's 100m freestyle competition, but could only finish sixth.

And although her time of 53:53 was an improvement on the 53:61 she clocked in her qualifying heat, it wasn't quick enough to squeeze into the top eight finishers across both heats and secure a place in the final.

Anderson's semi-final was won by Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Bernadette Haughey, who set a new Asian record for the second day running, with a time of 52:40.

Wirrals Freya Anderson won six medals recently at the European Championships. Photo: PA

Wirral's Freya Anderson won six medals recently at the European Championships. Photo: PA

But there was better news for Anderson's GB teammate Anna Hopkin, who finished fourth in the second semi-final and qualified for the final with a time of 53:11.

But Australian Emma McKeon will head into tomorrow's final as the favourite for the gold medal.

At the start of the week, Upton swimmer Anderson, who now trains permanently at the University of Bath, progressed from her heat in the 200m freestyle event, but just like the 100m, came unstuck in the semi-final, finishing seventh with a time of 1:57:10.

The 20-year-old was also part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team that finished fifth in Sunday’s final, competing alongside Hopkin, Abbie Wood and Lucy Hope.

Anderson had been considered more of realistic medal prospect for the Paris Olympics in 2024, but after she won six medals at last month’s European Championships, including five golds, hopes of success in Tokyo were raised.