For GB’s swimmers, maiden world titles for Colbert and Laura Stephens, in the women’s 200m butterfly, were undoubted highlights.

Stephens, 24, became Britain’s first individual female world champion since Rebecca Adlington in 2011 with her victory on Thursday, before Colbert became the second in four days.

There were plenty of positives elsewhere, as three-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty returned to the podium in his first appearance at a Worlds in five years after taking breaks from the sport because of mental health issues.

The 29-year-old took bronze in the men’s 100m breaststroke and helped GB to another in the 4x100m mixed medley relay, while he just missed out on another podium when coming fourth in the 50m breaststroke.

Peaty, the world record holder in the 50m event, became the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic title over 100m in Tokyo, where he was also part of GB’s victorious – and world record-breaking – 4x100m mixed medley team.

Making his international comeback, Tom Daley put himself in line for a fifth Olympic Games as he and partner Noah Williams took men’s 10m synchronised silver to secure GB’s place in the event in Paris.

Daley, 29, stepped away from the sport in August 2021 after winning gold in that event in Tokyo.

On his return to the global stage he helped GB win team gold before he and Williams achieved the top-four finish GB required to earn an Olympic quota place.

A fellow member of that team gold, 19-year-old Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix starred with three medals, winning bronze in the individual and synchronised 10m events.

Meanwhile, artistic swimmers Izzy Thorpe and Kate Shortman shone – and sealed an Olympic spot – during a championships in which the 22-year-olds became the first British pair to win a duet world medal with technical silver, before clinching free duet bronze.