The Euro stars… who to watch out for in Team GB and their rival nations
Baku promises to further elevate the already accomplished and create some new household names. Here are the pick of the Brits and the best of the internationals they must fend off for the medals
NICOLA ADAMS
BOXING
She will go down in history as the first woman at the Olympics to win boxing gold after triumphing in the flyweight division by beating world No1 Ren Cancan, of China, in the final. She emulated that first with Commonwealth gold two years later following the introduction of women’s boxing to the Glasgow Games. Her build-up to Baku, however, has not been without its setbacks. A shoulder problem led to surgery last autumn and meant a lengthy lay-off from full sparring and she pulled out of the England Boxing Elite National Championships when her car was stolen, along with her kit and other possessions, while she was sleeping at a family member’s house. She returned to the ring for the first time since Glasgow 2014 to win the Boxam tournament in Spain last month. Next year’s Olympics in Rio look a likely end point for Adams in the ring and the former TV extra — with roles in Coronation Street and Emmerdale — has cast her eye towards an acting career in the future.
GEMMA GIBBONS
JUDO
When Gibbons looked up to the heavens and mouthed the words “I love you mum” after guaranteeing at least a silver medal at London 2012, Gibbons won the hearts of the nation. It was a tribute to her mum, Jeanette, who died of leukaemia in 2004 and who had introduced her daughter to the sport of judo. Gibbons emulated that silver medal in the 78kg category at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Scotland, where she relocated in the wake of her London 2012 success. She lives in Edinburgh with her husband and fellow British judoka Euan Barton, whom she married in June 2013. Gibbons had previously been studying for a PE teaching degree but she has put that on hold in order to focus on both Baku and the lengthy build-up to the next Olympics.
JADE JONES
TAEKWONDO
Jones was little known outside of the sport when the then teenager became the first Briton in history to take taekwondo Olympic gold. In Baku, she has a point to prove after a failure with the scoring system — which effectively saw it freeze — denied her a medal at last month’s World Championships in Russia. That quarter-final loss to Iran’s Kimia Alizadeh was a first defeat of 2015 for Jones, 22, who once earned the nickname ‘The Headhunter’ for her penchant for going for head shots in competition. Jones took up the sport at the age of eight, introduced to it by her grandad to teach her how to defend herself, and has been part of the Great Britain set-up since 2010 Jones has often looked bemused by her success, explaining she is just a who “likes kicking people in the he for a living.
ED McKEEVER
CANOE SPRINT
Labelled the “Usain Bolt of the wat after winning the most explosive o the canoe sprint disciplines — the K 200m — at the last Olympics on Dorney Lake, where he had reloca to train in the Games build-up. He got married six weeks after the Olympics to his PE teacher girlfrien Anya. McKeever also has world and European titles to his name but has settle for double bronze at last year.
World Championships in Moscow. When not on the water, McKeever is on the verge of becoming a fully qualified accountant as he fits his final studies around his sporting career. In competition terms, McKeever had previously competed over the 500m distance but made the switch to the shorter event, which has proved better r suited to his physiology.
NILE WILSON ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS
He is the leading name in the British team in their artistic gymnastics set- up for Baku. Wilson had been set to compete in the all- around final at last year’s World Championships but a wrist injury forced him to pull out and he could only watch from the sidelines as his fellow countrymen went on to win a silver medal. Wilson had made his mark on the senior stage earlier in the year at the Commonwealth Games, where he won double gold, a silver and bronze. The Leeds- born athlete has been tipped to become a global star in the sport. He began with hourly weekend gym sessions at his local council- run centre at the age of five after his parents decided it was the best way to teach their clumsy son how to fall. Wilson so happened to be a natural at every facet of gymnastics and the training has escalated — the 19- year- old now trains 30 hours a week week.