Jemma Lowe was overjoyed as the Welsh teenager finished sixth in the Olympic 100m butterfly final in Beijing.
The 18-year-old was fifth at the turn and in touch with the leaders but slipped away to sixth to finish in a time of 58.06 seconds.
Australian Libby Trickett won the race, the first gold of her quadruple Olympic title bid in a time of 56.73 seconds.
Olympic 2012 hopeful Lowe insisted: "I've got to be pleased, I've just swam in an Olympic final!"
Jemma Lowe enjoyed her debut Olympic final appearance
But Lowe's best chance of an Olympic medal is in the 200m Butterfly and her first heat in that event is on Tuesday at 1210 BST.
Lowe's 200m butterfly best this season of two minutes and 6.64 seconds is third in the world behind Japan's Yoko Nakanishi and Aurore Mongel of France.
But the young Welsh Commonwealth Games star will be boosted by her 100m butterfly heroics in her debut Olympics.
And she admitted afterwards: "It's great to have swam in front of thousands of people."
Champion Trickett's golden swim of 56.73 seconds was just 0.12 seconds off the world record while American Christine Magnuson claimed silver and Australia's Jessicah Schipper who took bronze.
"It's a dream come true, it doesn't seem real for me and I'm delighted," said Trickett.
Trickett became the third Australian gold medallist in the event, following Lyn McClements (1968) and Petria Thomas from Athens.
She has the chance to win three more titles this week in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 4x100m medley relay.
"To get a personal best time, as well as an Olympic gold medal, it's way more than I could have ever dreamed," said Trickett.
Meanwhile, Lowe's fellow Team GB teenage team-mate Rebecca Adlington won Olympic gold in the women's 400m freestyle, becoming Britain's first female Olympic swimming champion for 48 years.
Adlington was joined on the podium by team-mate Jo Jackson, who also staged a late rally to grab bronze behind Hoff.
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