KATE Haywood's injury nightmare melted away in Hungary as the Grimsby swimmer scooped gold and silver at the European Swimming Championships.

Haywood travelled to Budapest still suffering from a long-term hip injury and thought her run of bad luck would continue in Budapest when she was disqualified from the 100m breaststroke earlier in the week.

But the 23-year-old finally had something to smile about as she took silver in the 50m breaststroke before helping the women's 4x100m medley relay team top the podium.

And Haywood – who also claimed European 50m breaststroke silver four years ago in Budapest – admits she has to pinch herself to be returning home with two medals around her neck.

"Two medals is absolutely incredible because I actually thought I was going to come to Budapest and get none," she said.

"It just feels so amazing after the year I have had – in truth it was enough just to come here and race after the year I have had so to go away with two medals is incredible.

"I just wanted to be back competing and back racing with the team and for myself because it was very hard while I was out.

"It has been a really, really tough year, I have been doing my rehab and trying to get back to where I was."

Haywood's time of 31.12 seconds in the 50m breaststroke took 0.29 seconds off her personal best set five years ago.

But she still had enough in the tank to help the medley team of Gemma Spofforth, Fran Halsall and Amy Smith to gold, but only after Russia were disqualified for an illegal changeover.

Yet after her run of misfortune, Haywood believes it is about time she got a break, and she said: "To get disqualified in the 100m at the start of the week just left me so angry and so frustrated so to come back and for the girls to get the relay gold was amazing.

"I think we really deserved it as well so it has just been a brilliant week and that was a great way to finish.

"My 50m was a personal best and I have not done a personal best in that in God knows how many years, I'm not quite there yet because it has been quite a lot for my hip and my leg to deal with but two medals I am really chuffed."

The nation's leading energy supplier British Gas is the Principal Partner of British Swimming, and have pledged £15m to support the sport at all levels – from paddling pool to podium. For more information visit www.britishgas.co.uk/swimming