Great Britain head coach Dennis Pursley believes that pressure and a refusal to wear a supersuit cost Rebecca Adlington at the world championships in Rome.

Liam Tancock's gold medal in the 50m backstroke in Sunday night's final session saw the British team finish the competition with seven medals, including two golds, in the pool. The team claimed three world and five European records during the championships.

Before the pool swimming competition began, Tom Daley won a shock gold in the 10m platform diving and Keri-Anne Payne adding the 10km open water title.

The momentum was maintained into the separate swimming programme.

As well as Tancock's gold, Gemma Spofforth claimed the 100m backstroke title - both in world record time.

Jo Jackson won two individual silvers and a bronze - sharing the podium with Adlington in the 400m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay - and Fran Halsall was second in the 100m freestyle.

However, Adlington's fourth place in the 800m freestyle, two places adrift of Jackson, left the 20-year-old devastated.

Pursley said: "It was not only the pressure of being Olympic gold medallist but the pressure of being the only one in the race without the suit.

"I think she could have probably have handled any one of those but you put the two together and she was carrying a heavy load.

"But she is not only a great athlete but also a great person and has tremendous strength of character.

"She'll be back and I think she will turn this into a great positive.

"She'll use it to help make it better next time around.

"We haven't seen the best of Becky yet."

Pursley echoed national performance director Michael Scott's assertion that talk of records is "irrelevant" given 43 fell at the Foro Italico.

Scott also revealed 90-95% of swimmers made their choice of which suit to wear when they arrived in Rome following trials with different swimwear at their training camp in Sardinia, with a number changing their minds as the competition went on.

There were a number of 'wardrobe malfunctions' with suits ripping, although such occurrences will soon be a thing of the past with the return to textile suits covering far less of the body to come into force on January 1, 2010.

Pursley added: "It was a challenge for them, it was a challenge for all the swimmers at the meet - the vast majority did not have those suits prior to the meet and did not have a significant amount of opportunity in the weeks or months preceding the meet to train or race in them.

"It's not just a matter of getting access to the suit, most of the swimmers in this meet are wearing them for the first time.

"Race plans are out of the window, the suit changes stroke rate and pace and they are trying them for the first time in a World Championships."