Kiera Aitken got Bermuda's Olympic campaign off to a sensational start last night, slashing more than one and a half seconds off her own 100 metres backstroke national record.

Competing in the first of seven qualifying heats at Beijing's swish Aquatics Centre against just two other swimmers when the rest of the heats featured at least seven, the 24-year-old Bermudian took full advantage of what others might have seen as an unfortunate draw.

She stormed into an early lead, made the turn more than a bodylength ahead of her two rivals and powered home in one minute, 2.62 seconds.

That shattered the previous record of 1:04.16 she set at the Spanish Nationals earlier this year.

Beaming with excitement as she returned to the changing room, she said: "I feel great, I can't believe I swam that fast.

"This season I've been consistent, mostly 1.04s.

"It's just great to finally make that breakthrough, especially at the Olympics."

Of the draw, she added: "I tried to look at it positively, I like being out in front, it feels good . . . but in backstroke you don't really see a lot of people anyway. I didn't get upset about it."

Aitken had entered the event with the third slowest time of all of the 49 competitors, her PB short of the official Olympic qualifying standard of 1:03.86.

But the holder of five other Bermuda national records, she emerged last night with a time that ranked her an impressive 33rd on the list of backstroke entrants.

It wasn't enough to propel her into today's semi-finals, which will feature the fastest 16 from the seven heats.

That might have been mission impossible given that the fastest qualifier was Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry who cruised home in 59 seconds flat, world record holder, American's Natalie Coughlin, not far behind in 59.69.

But Aitken's goal had always been to dip under 1:04 for the first time in a swimming career that began when she was still at primary school. That she went under 1:03 will have shocked both coach Martin Allen and mother Mary Beth Aitken who travelled with the team as swim manager.

Official results showed that Kiera made the turn in 30.07, well under record pace, and finished almost three seconds ahead of Paraguay's Maria Baez (1:05.39) with Panama's Christie Bodden Baca trailing home third in 1:07.18.

Kiera said she will now take a rest until the end of September before returning to her team in Barcelona, Spain.

And the massive improvement on her time will likely mean she will now set her sights on the next Commonwealth Games in India in two years' time.

Next on Bermuda's Olympic schedule is freestyler Roy Allen Burch who takes part in the 100 metres heats tomorrow, starting at 6.30 p.m. (7.30 a.m. Bermuda time).