There’s gold for Nicola Adams and Joe Joyce has the chance to follow suit in the ring tomorrow, plus Team GB win six medals in the pool. Here’s our review of day 13 at the European Games.
Team GB have now won 34 medals at Baku 2015; 14 gold, six silver and 14 bronze
Adams revels in historic win
Flyweight Nicola Adams was overjoyed to have written another chapter in the history of women’s boxing.
The 32-year-old became the first ever woman to win Olympic boxing gold at London 2012 and followed that up last year to top the podium at the Commonwealth Games.
Adams’ latest achievement comes after beating 2011 European silver medallist Sandra Drabik of Poland on points to secure Team GB’s 13th gold medal.
“I’m absolutely over the moon. I can’t believe what I have achieved today,” she said.
“I’ve had a bit of a rocky start to the year, but this makes this win so much more special and it’s all come good in the end.
“I thought I had done enough all the way through. She’s a good opponent and has improved a lot over the last couple of years, so I knew it was going to be quite tough, but I thought I would have enough to get me through.”
More boxing glory guaranteed
Super-heavyweight Joe Joyce goes for gold tomorrow and says his accomplishment in Baku is the finest of his career.
The 29-year-old defeated France’s Tony Yoka on points in his semi-final bout to guarantee he will take his place in the podium when he returns to the Crystal Hall tomorrow.
He said: “I’m over the moon with that and with the chance to fight for that big shiny gold medal.
“They’ll be a great addition to my collection and probably be my favourite achievement to date.”
Sandy Ryan, meanwhile, will leave Baku with a light-welterweight bronze medal following her semi-final defeat to Elene Vystropova.
Team GB swimmers take medal tally to 13
Duncan Scott became Team GB’s most decorated athlete at the European Games with gold in the 100m freestyle and silver as part of the 4x200m freestyle relay.
The 18-year-old now has four of Team GB’s 13 medals won in the pool and expects that tally to swell further still.
He said: “GB have had another solid day, so we just need to attack tomorrow the same way.
“I was delighted with the win and helping the GB swimmers in the medal table against Russia, it will be a battle until the end.”
Oates suffers disappointment with early exit
Olympian Colin Oates has vowed to bounce back quickly from his Baku disappointment after bowing out in the -66kg round of 16.
The 32-year-old’s day had begun with victory over Belgian opponent Kenneth van Gansbeke, but his progress was short lived with defeat to Sergiu Olenic of Portugal ending his European Games involvement.
“That’s the nature of the sport, you have to take these ups and downs quite a lot,” said the Commonwealth champion.
“Sometimes this sport can be frustrating, because one score and it’s all over. He played the fight really well, he played the fight clever and made sure he nullified what I do well.”
Ashley McKenzie suffered defeat at the same stage of the -60kg competition, finding no way past Jeroen Mooren of Netherlands while Kelly Edwards was beaten in the round of 16 too, losing comprehensively to Romanian teenager Larisa Florian in their -52kg fight.
Commonwealth champion Nekoda Smythe Davis also bowed out in the round of 32 to Russia’s Irina Zabludina.
Nerves get the better of Itzkowitz
Aliya Itzkowitz intends to put in the hard yards when she returns to London from Baku following her exit in the last 32 of the individual sabre.
The three-time British champion cruised through the pool stage, beating four of her five Group F opponents.
The 21-year-old was leading Poland’s Martyna Watora 8-3 after period one of her table of 32 bout, but eventually fell to a 15-12 defeat and Itzkowitz knows she still has plenty to work on.
“After leading for most of the match I choked up at the end,” she said.
“It’s given me some things to think about. I need to work on my long attack, she was making me miss a lot. Sometimes that happens when I’m nervous too, I tense up and miss.
In the men’s individual foil competition, Ben Peggs and Alexander Tofalides were unable to get out of their respective pools.
And though Richard Kruse and Marcus Mepstead did progress both lost their respective table of 32 fights to Jean-Paul Tony Helissey Italy’s Francesco Ingargiola.
© Sportsbeat 2015