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After leading from start until 400m from the finish line of the 10km marathon swim, British training partners Keri-Anne Payne and Cassandra Patten claimed silver and bronze behind eight-time world champion Larisa Ilchenko, of Russia.

Ilchenko did what she had done so many times before: she swam at the feet of the leaders throughout the race before making her move with 750m remaining. Sean Kelly, head coach to the British pair and their personal mentor at Stockport, complained that Patten had had her feet pulled on in the closing 200m of the race. "I'm not very happy about that, but that's what happened," said Kelly.

Ilchenko took the lead with 400m to go and sprint on to a 1 hour 59.27 minutes victory. That her 1.5sec ahead of Payne, with Patten a further 1.8sec adrift. South African Natalie du Toit, the first amputee to qualify for the Olympic Games, finished 16th. With 250 metres to go, the medal contenders were whittled down to just four, with Germany's Angela Maurer joining Payne, Patten and Ilchenko at the front.

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• British silver and bronze in 10km swim

It was Maurer who pulled on Patten's feet and slowed her down. Second to Ilchenko at the world championships in 2007 and again in May this year, Patten lost her momentum and had to start her sprint from a sitting start.

At the end of the race, Patten, the first swimmer ever to qualify for Olympic pool and open water events, did not get to savour the moment she took bronze: "I had a word with her [Maurer]. It just wasn't on. I asked her why she did it and she said she hadn't seen me. I don't want to start an inter-country war but it really wasn't on and she knew it."

Kelly was delighted that both his charges had made the podium but said with a smile "we should have won". The winning attitude of the British team is everywhere at these Games, the overall team medal tally having now reached 35, with 16 golds at the helm of 10 silvers and nine bronzes.

Payne was thrilled. Toying with her silver medal after the race, wide smile on her face, she said: "We didn't really have a tactic. It just worked out that we were able to swim together, help each other and stay out of trouble. There was nothing we could do when she [Ilchenko] broke. I just stuck my head down and gave it all I had."

Patten's mother Zandra and father Tony, were on hand to watch the race with their younger daughter Lucy, 19 today and to whom big sister dedicated her medal: "Neither of us feel we lost the race today. We won Olympic silver and bronze medals. No-one can ever take that away. Words can't describe what its like. I'm going to meet my parents and sister - and this medal's for Lucy, she's 19 today - and we'll all be in floods of tears. It's just the best feeling ever."

Payne and Patten's medals added to those gained in the pool earlier in the Games - Rebecca Adlington taking two golds, in the 400m and 800m freestyle, and Joanne Jackson a bronze behind her teammate in the 400m. Patten raced in the 800m final with Adlington, and finished eighth, while Payne raced in the semi-finals of the 200m medley and the heats of the 400m, setting best times along the way.

David Davies could add another medal tomorrow when he competes in the men's 10km race.