JAMES Guy was close to the British record as he sped into the semi finals of the 100m butterfly at the Rio Olympics.

The 20-year-old former Our Ladys Catholic Primary School and Cardinal Newman High School swimmer clocked a personal best 51.78secs in heat three in the Olympic Aquatics Pool.

His time, which pushed the British record of 51.41 set by Michael Rock in 2009, sees him qualify joint eighth fastest into the semi finals that take place from 3.34am UK time tomorrow, Friday.

There is only a whisker between the top nine qualifiers, with Singapore’s Joseph Schooling fastest with 51.41 as he edged home ahead of USA sports legend Michael Phelps in the seeded heat six.

Guy, who will also be tackling the fly for Team GB in the 4x100m relay, is aiming for his fourth final of the games, with the 100m fly showdown scheduled for 2.12am UK time on Saturday.

He brought the 4x200m freestyle team home to a silver medal on Wednesday morning after finishing fourth and sixth in the individual 200m and 400m finals respectively in a busy opening week to his maiden Games.