Despite only reaching the B final, the British quartet of Jon Eley (pictured), Richard Shoebridge, Paul Stanley and 19-year-old Jack Whelbourne bettered the old mark by more than two tenths of a second with their time of 6min 37.877sec.

Having won their first round convincingly, they finished last in the semi-final after a fall, but produced an exceptional time in their final with Russia and the Netherlands.

And one which none of the A final qualifiers – Canada, Korea, Germany and China – could better.

"I just couldn't believe it," said Whelbourne, a former European junior champion who competed at the Vancouver Olympics.

"And we beat the European champions as well. The relay will certainly be an event for home fans to watch out for at the Worlds in Sheffield."

Stuart Horsepool, the Great Britain short track Performance Director said "This is the first time Great Britain has held a relay world record in short track speed skating and I am extremely proud of the team.

"We obviously have the speed and now just need to hone our tactics to bring medal success in the World Championships.

The 2011 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships will be held between the March 11 and 13 at the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield.

Tickets can be obtained through the Championships website by clicking here.

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