Swimmer Tom Hamer went into the 2018 Commonwealth Games as one of Team England's brightest medal hopes, but the big question surrounded whether he could turn his string of silver medals at major championships into a gold.

Not only did the 19-year-old end that run of always being the bridesmaid, but he did it in stunning fashion by breaking his own world record in the men's 200m S14 freestyle final.

Hamer smashed his previous world-best by 0.3s, touching the wall in a time of 1:55.88 - making him the first person to ever break the 1:56 barrier in his classification.

After his triumph, Hamer spoke to Sports Mole about his performance, being awarded his medal by Prince Charles and why he already has one eye on defending his title in Birmingham.

"Not really. I'm starting to hit reality but it was a special night."

It must have been extra satisfying after your previous silver medals at the Olympics and four years ago in Glasgow...

"Oh yeah, I've been trying to get that gold and finally [last night] it came so it was a dream come true to be honest."

And doing it in front of an Aussie crowd, beating three Aussies along the way, that's got to be good for an Englishman...

"Definitely! I think that's one of the highlights - coming halfway across the world and standing on top of the podium looking down on two Aussies with a home crowd, it's pretty sensational."

When you were standing on the platform before the race, did you feel like you had it in you to not only to set a new world record but also do it by such a distance?

"A little bit, yeah. I was previously the world-record holder, so I knew I had it in the tank, it's just what the other guys were going to do.

"I had a few things in mind, I was just trying to see what the others were doing, but I ended up going out really fast and trying to hold it on that last leg. It hurt but I got there in the end and just pipped the two Aussies."

And of course you broke the 1:56 mark, first S14 swimmer to do that - how does that feel?

"That is pretty cool. I'm happy with that!"

Have you got any other targets in mind now? You seem to be going from strength to strength at the moment!

"We've got the Europeans, I've got to qualify for that in the summer, and that's in Ireland. I was previously European champion so I want to defend that. Then the big one's Tokyo - I don't want a silver there. Silvers are what I've been getting so I want to try and turn them all into golds. That would be the dream!"

As if your performance didn't make the night special enough, you were handed your medal by Prince Charles - talk us through that!

"That was the icing on the cake. I can't explain it. He said 'congratulations, awesome swim and congratulations on your world record'. It was just really nice and especially to do that in front of my family as well, watching.

"They were very proud and that was a special moment of my career. Not many people have said Prince Charles has presented a Commonwealth gold medal to them so that was special."

Did you know he'd be presenting the medals before or was that a surprise to you?

"No that was a surprise, I didn't even know he was there until someone interviewed me afterwards and told me! I was like 'Oh my God, I didn't even know he was here!' Then all of a sudden he presented the medal to me. It was very special indeed."

That was your only event at these Games, so what are your plans for the rest of the time you're here?

"Kick back and relax, be a Team England cheerleader I guess and support all of the other swimmers if they need any help. I'll just be there to support and enjoy myself. I'll still be in training though, I've still got things to do in the pool."

The mood in the Team England camp must be pretty great right now after last night's performance in the pool...

"Yeah, the ball's rolling now and hopefully Team England can get some more golds in the bag.

"I was in the call room when Aimee Wilmott got the first gold for Team England in the pool and she was previously a silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, so it was so nice to see her get a gold medal and then I was like 'yes, I need to get this'. Both of us turned our silvers into gold so it was a really special night for both of us."

So seeing things like that before you race inspires you...

"Oh yeah, she inspired me in the call room so I was like 'I need to do this to inspire the next person' and that's how the ball rolls.

"We are an individual sport but at the end of the day when you see a teammate do really well you just want to do as well as them. That's how sport is, I guess, and it's just so nice having a good team around you and support. Team England are looking strong."

What is it like representing Team England in comparison to GB?

"I'm a proud Englishman! It's pretty special. It's a tricky question, that, because I'm English and I'm British and I'm proud. Representing for Great Britain and for England are just the same for me because I'm proud either way."

The opportunity to represent England only comes around every four years, though, so that must make this medal extra special...

"It's just as big as the Olympics or Paralympics - it's an incredible event and for me, the Commonwealth Games were the pinnacle of my career in 2014. That got the ball rolling, that was my first international meet, so the Commonwealth Games is in my heart a lot because it started my career.

"When I was 14 I had a silver and now it's gold and in 2022, the next Commonwealth Games will be on our home turf in Birmingham. I'm going to have to defend my title. Let the Aussies come to me - and I'll be more prepared than them!"

So you've already one eye on Birmingham 2022?

"Yeah, one eye on that. I came all the way across the world and I beat them, so it's going to be even harder for them to come all the way across the world to me. That's the way I see it now!"