TOM James helped break a world record on his way to adding another gold medal to his glittering collection at the second World Cup race of the season.

The former King’s School Chester student was part of the Great Britain crew which smashed the fastest time ever set by a men’s four in the heats of the Lucerne event.

The quartet moved up through the field to lead at the halfway stage and turned on the power to take victory in five minutes and 37:86 seconds – beating the previous best of 5.41:35 recorded by Germany at the 2002 World Championships.

James, from Coedpoeth near Wrexham, said: “We set out to win our heat and we didn’t want to hide away from hard work, even in a heat, if it gave us speed.

“The world best time is nice but we’re here to beat people and to put in that kind of performance consistently.”

James, Andrew Triggs Hodge, Peter Reed and Alex Gregory then moved through to the final where they produced a superb comeback to pip Australia to first place and make it two World Cup wins from two.

The thrilling victory justified their billing as favourites to retain the Olympic crown at this summer’s London Games.

James, a member of the four which won the won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and last year’s World Championship, said: “You are aware of what’s going on but we just focused on what we were doing and I wasn’t worried.”

Chris Bartley won bronze in Switzerland as part of the men’s lightweight four.

Former world champion Bartley, from Farndon, said: “We were pretty decent to the 1,000m and we just couldn’t quite hold on to the lead.”

Britain won the event but Olivia Whitlam, who like Bartley and James used to attend The King’s School, and former Bishop Heber High School and Abbey Gate College student Vicky Thornley had to settle for fifth-placed finishes in the women’s eight and quadruple scull respectively.

Team GB bosses will unveil their team for the 2012 Olympics next Wednesday.

A large body of rowers from Queen’s Park High School took part in Sunday’s swelteringly-hot Northwich Regatta.

First places were achieved by Amy Williamson and Meera Baker in the WJ13x2 doubles and the J16 coxless quad of Joel Langmead, Alex Thomas, Struan Fishburn and James McDermot.

There were second-placed finishes for Ben Newell in the J13 singles and Liam Vipond in the J16 singles.