On 17 October 2014, the British Olympic Association announced that 14 sports and 20 disciplines were seeking qualification for the games.[2]
On 23 April 2015, the British Olympic Association announced the selection of a team of 153 athletes to compete at the Games with a further 10 male boxers to be chosen shortly. Although Great Britain had won several quota places in both badminton and cycling they have chosen not to participate in these sports in Baku.[3][4] On 6 May 2015, the British Olympic Association named an additional ten athletes – 9 boxing, 1 shooting – to complete the British team to compete in Baku.[5][6]
Great Britain left the inaugural Games with a total of 47 medals (18 gold, 10 silver, and 19 bronze), finishing third in the medal table rankings, and fourth in the total number of medal rankings.[8] At least one medal was awarded to Team GB in nine sports, seven of them contained at least one gold. Great Britain topped the medal table in triathlon, and diving, although the most successful sport for Great Britain was swimming, with 23 medals, seven gold.
Seventeen British athletes won more than a single European Games medal in Baku, with the most successful being swimmers Duncan Scott, with three golds and three silvers, both the most successful (three golds) and most decorated (six medals) athlete[9] and Luke Greenback with two golds and two silvers, as well as a world junior record in 200 metres backstroke,[10] the only other multiple gold medalist. Abbie Wood, with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals was the most successful female competitor for Great Britain,[11] and one of three athletes, with diver James Heatly and fellow swimmer Martyn Walton, to win at least one medal of every colour. Georgia Coates, with five medals, was the most decorated female competitor for Great Britain at the Games.
The first medal, and gold medal, won at the Games, and by extension the first ever European Games medal and gold medal ever won by Great Britain was achieved by Gordon Benson in men's triathlon; in doing so, he guaranteed a place in the men's triathlon for Great Britain, though not necessarily for himself, at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[12] His win also continued Great Britain's dominance of the event, holding titles at European,[13] European Games, Commonwealth Games,[14] Youth Olympic[15] and Olympic Games levels.
In the fencing hall, Richard Kruse, Marcus Mepstead, and Ben Peggs won the gold in team foil, defeating Olympic champions Italy, and winning Great Britain's first team fencing medal at European or Global level in fifty years, and the first gold ever at that level.[16]
Seventeen-year-old Amber Hill overcame a marathon shoot off in the final to claim Britain's only shooting Gold in women's skeet,[17] while the pool proved a happy hunting ground, with eleven golds across swimming and diving.
In the boxing hall, Nicola Adams continued her domination of her weight category, to add European Games gold to her Commonwealth and Olympic Games titles.[18] Joe Joyce maintained Great Britain's grip on the super-heavyweight division, taking gold to echo the achievements of Anthony Joshua in the 2012 Summer Olympics. On the taekwondo mat, Jade Jones added the European Games gold to her Olympic title, only months after a controversial loss at the World Championships. Newcomer, and converted kickboxer Charlie Maddock also won gold, but Bianca Walkden was unable to repeat her World title success. Meanwhile, the publicised rivalry between former Great Britain athlete Aaron Cook, now fighting for Moldova, and Olympic bronze medalist Lutalo Mohommad failed to materialise as both lost early in their competition. However, as in 2012, Mohommad recovered to take bronze through the repechage.
After the Games
At the closing ceremony, the flag of Great Britain was brought by Joe Joyce. Although the Games received limited coverage in Great Britain, shown domestically only on BT Sport, a subscription channel, the success of the team, particularly of Olympic champions Adams and Jones helped drive interest. By the conclusion of the Games it was reported that Manchester was considering bidding for the 2023 edition of the Games; following the award of the 2018 European Championships to Glasgow, Scotland and the 2022 Commonwealth Games to Birmingham, England, no further interest in hosting the Games was registered.
Medal summary
The following British competitors won medals at the Games.[19]
Great Britain qualified for three quota places in the women's archery events at the Games, and as a result also qualified for the women's team event. Great Britain qualified for one quota place in the men's event, and as a result also qualified Great Britain for the mixed gender team event.
Great Britain endured mixed fortunes at the archery field, failing to qualify from the ranking round for the mixed pairs events, and failing to reach the quarter-finals in any of the disciplines; Kieran Slater's run to the last sixteen in the men's individual, where he lost narrowly to the French archer Plihon, was the strongest British performance.
Great Britain qualified four quota places in the women's boxing events, and ten in the men's events, at the Games. The female members of the British boxing squad were confirmed on 23 April 2015. On 6 May 2015, the names of nine boxers were added to the British squad.
Great Britain had a relatively successful Games in the boxing ring, with four medals from 14 classes, highlighted by the victories of Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion, and Great Britain flagbearer, Nicola Adams, and Commonwealth Games super-heavyweight champion Joe Joyce, and a first senior medal for Sandy Ryan. Top seed Anthony Fowler lost in his first round bout, as did former world champion and Olympian Savannah Marshall. Great Britain finished fourth in the boxing medal table, narrowly behind Ireland, but well behind superpowers Russia and hosts Azerbaijan.
At the canoeing lake, Great Britain were competitive, reaching a number of finals. Their only medal in an Olympic event, however, came from London 2012 champion Ed McKeever, winning silver in his men's K-1 200 metre event. Lani Belcher won Great Britain's other canoeing medal, a silver in the non-Olympic women's canoe marathon event.
Following the European Junior Diving Championships held in July 2014, LEN informed British Swimming that they would receive a full quota of places at the Games. The diving events were all junior events for boys under 18 and girls under 16, and doubled as the European Junior Diving Championships for 2015
Great Britain enjoyed huge success in the diving pool, topping the medal table with four golds, a silver and a bronze. James Heatly, having won bronze in the men's 1 metre springboard event, became Great Britain's first multiple medalist in the European Games when he took his second medal, a silver, in the men's synchronized springboard beside Ross Haslam, and went on to complete the set with victory in the men's 3 metre springboard event. Matty Lee and Lois Toulson both took gold in the high platform events, Toulson arguably with the dive of the Games. Katherine Torrance matched Heatly with victory in the women's 3 metre springboard.
Great Britain qualified five athletes based on performances at the 2014 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships. The event was seen as a showcase for an event and athletes not currently included in Olympic competition.
Acrobatic mixed pair Ryan Bartlett and Hannah Baughn enjoyed a very successful games, winning three bronze medals, placing third in each of the mixed pairs disciplines. their success boosted Great Britain's overall tally of medals in gymnastics to five.
Great Britain sent a mainly development team to the Games, with none of the bronze medal winning men's Olympic team, Youth Olympic champion Giarnni Regini-Moran or European medalists such as Daniel Keatings, Ellie or Becky Downie present. This development team contrasted with the strong senior squads sent by a number of other countries, and was reflected in lower finishes in the team events than in recent European Championships.
The team did however include double Commonwealth and five time European Junior champion Nile Wilson, making a comeback from injury, and successful junior Brinn Bevan on his senior debut. In the event, Wilson did not make any finals, but Bevan took the opportunity to win his first senior medal, a bronze, in pommel horse, an historically strong event for Great Britain. It was Great Britain's sole artistic gymnastics medal of the Games.
Great Britain qualified two athletes based on the results at the 2014 European Trampoline Championships. The female gymnasts competed in both the individual and the synchronized event.
Kat Driscoll won her first major international individual trampoline medal for Great Britain at the Games, having previously won several in synchronized trampoline.
Great Britain endured a difficult time on the judo mat; reaching only one medal match, where Natalie Powell succumbed to a late attack to lose a bronze medal. Olympic medalist Gemma Gibbons lost early in her weight category, failing even to reach the repechage, and noted that her recent results had "not been good or consistent enough", mixing good wins with unnecessary losses, and that this was "a fight I need to be winning",[21] while former Israeli judoka and World medalist Alice Schlesinger suffered a shock defeat to Ana Cachola.[22]
Great Britain secured the maximum number of quotas in the shotgun events based on the European rankings on 31 December 2014. Quotas were also won in some of the rifle events.
Amber Hill, a 17-year-old skeet shooter won Great Britain's only shooting medal, the gold medal in women's skeet, following a marathon shoot-off. Steve Scott set the Games record in men's double trap qualification, but slipped to fifth in the semi-finals, missing out on a medal match.
Following the European Junior Swimming Championships held in July 2014, LEN informed each NOC how many swimming quotas they would receive for the European Games. In December 2014, British Swimming published their selection criteria for the Games and confirmed that they would be sending a full team of 24 swimmers.[23]
Based on the WTF rankings as at 31 March 2015, Great Britain secured seven quotas for the Games. Ruebyn Richards was originally selected for the men's 68kg class, but was replaced by Martin Stamper.
Great Britain qualified for one quota place in both the men's and women's events by results in the European Triathlon Championships. Further quota places were won through end of year rankings. As a result, Great Britain had a full quota of places at Baku 2015.
Gordon Benson won Great Britain's first European Games medal, and first gold, in the men's race. In doing so, he guaranteed a quota place in men's triathlon for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
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