The Mansfield swimmer, who won gold in the 400m and 800m freestyle in Beijing in 2008, insists that she lacks the raw speed to compete with the world’s best over the shorter distance, though her strength, technique and fighting spirit proved too much for her British rivals in a thrilling race on Tuesday night.

Fourth after 150 metres, Adlington produced a powerful fightback to triumph in 1min 58.90sec, ensuring her qualification for the event at this summer’s World Championships in Shanghai.

Her interest in the 200m has previously focused on the 4x200m relay but she confirmed that she intended to take up her individual place in China and, if she qualifies at next year’s trials, at the London Olympics. With the relay and her two specialist events, that would mean a four-pronged campaign in 2012.

“I’d absolutely love to do it in Shanghai,” she said. “It’s not the kind of event that I would win a medal in but it’s just a nice event to do. It also gives me more confidence to do the 4x200.

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to do it in London, too. I’ll race them all at the trials and I’ll take whatever I qualify for, even if it’s the 200 breaststroke, cycling or anything. As long as I’m there at the Olympics.”

Jazz Carlin, who beat Adlington to the 200m silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in October, was second in Tuesday’s final, while Keri-Anne Payne, an Olympic silver medallist and former world champion in the 10km open-water event, showed a remarkable turn of speed for an endurance specialist to take third.

All three medallists, plus fourth-placed Rebecca Turner, booked their places in 4x200m freestyle relay for Shanghai, though Jo Jackson, who was plagued by illness problems for most of last year, will have to rely on a discretionary place in the six-woman squad after finishing fifth.

Michael Rock qualified for Shanghai with a victory in the 200m butterfly in 1min 56.31sec. He will be joined in China by second-placed Joe Roebuck, whose time of 1-56.67 was inside the British Swimming qualifying standard.