Luke Greenbank claimed Team GB’s fourth swimming gold of the Baku 2015 European Games this afternoon after triumphing in the 100m backstroke final.
Greenbank, who won bronze in the 200m backstroke at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, came home in 54.76 in the Baku Aquatics Centre, ahead of Filipp Shopin of Russia and Germany’s Marek Ulrich who took silver and bronze respectively.
The 17-year-old said: "I’ve been swimming well here, this wasn’t my preferred event but I was first after the semi finals and that gave me a confidence boost.
"It was always going to be tough and it was close going into the final and the race was very close in the last 25m.
"The semi final swim definitely gave me confidence, I was nervous going into the final I’m not going to lie but that happens with every race really.
"You just have to get past that and focus on what you have to do.
"My time was slightly slower than my time in the semi but it was still a lot faster than my old PB and the semi was my first time under 55 seconds."
After two medals in yesterday’s relay races Team GB added another to the collection in the 4x100m freestyle mixed relay.
Duncan Scott and Martyn Walton led the quartet out of the blocks before Darcy Deakin and Georgia Coates finished the race off in 3:32.65 to take silver – gold going to a strong Russian team in 3:30.30.
And Scott was delighted to help Team GB to yet more medals in the pool and wants the squad to keep the momentum going.
“It was a close race until the end, we front loaded with two boys but then the girls held on well for a medal,” he said.
“It’s another great day for Team GB, another day another medal so we need to keep this ball rolling.”
Luke Davies continued Team GB’s impressive display in the pool with a bronze medal swim in the men’s 200m breaststroke final at Baku 2015.
Davies, 18, finished behind the Russian pair of Anton Chupkov and Kirill Mordashev in a time of 2:13.45, narrowly edging out fellow Brit Charlie Attwood, who finished fourth with a personal best 2:13.62.
Davies said: “It’s fantastic to win bronze, I knew that I could get a PB and I managed to do that and it got me a medal.
“I know it was going to be hard to catch him (Anton Chupkov) because I know he is fast but it was a good experience to swim next to him.
“I’ve looked at how he does the 200 breast and looked at how I could change to close the gap because he’s a fantastic swimmer.
“There was a lot of pressure tonight but I wasn’t bothered about the time because I’m coming home with a medal and that’s fantastic.
Attwood said: “I think I swam quite well considering the 200m isn’t my best event - I prefer the 100m.
“I’m really happy with the swim, it’s a personal best by more than a second I think so I can’t complain with that.
“It’s more about the process than medals at the moment so a PB is consolation for just missing out.
“I’m just trying to find a way to swim a 200m that I’m comfortable with and that’s effective, I think I’m pretty much there.”