Long-distance swimmer Keri-Anne Payne fell short in her campaign to upgrade her Beijing silver on Thursday and claim Team GB's first swimming crown of the 2012 Games in the 10,000 metres outdoor event.

A fourth place finish which saw her narrowly missing out on bronze did little to help a disappointing performance in the pool last week, which saw Britain emerge with just three medals - two bronzes by Rebecca Adlington and a silver by Michael Jamieson.

Payne's silver in 2008 has since been topped up with two world crowns, leading her to be cast as favourite before entering the water.

However, ahead of the event the 24-year-old says the nature of open water, with the different types of course, renders that meaningless.

She told reporters: "You can see from the results over the last couple of years: I was second in Beijing, I won the worlds after that but then the worlds after that I came 10th and then in Shanghai I won.

"So it completely depends on who is the best athlete on the day, who makes the right decisions and the best decisions and so I just have to go in and focus on what I have to do and then hope for the best."