Baku European Games 2015: Nicola Adams has golden treble in her sights

Nicola Adams has an old adversary standing in her way at the European Games as she attempts to make even more boxing history, The Independent reports.

Adams was the first woman to win Olympic and Commonwealth boxing gold medals and hopes to complete a unique treble in Baku.

The 32-year-old flyweight gets her challenge under way against Hungary’s Katalin Ancsin today and, should she advance, will then face her long-term rival Stoyka Petrova in the next round. Adams has enjoyed mixed success against the 29-year-old Bulgarian, whom she beat on her way to gold at London 2012 but lost to at the European Championships last year.

As the flyweight division is the first women’s final to be fought, next Thursday, Adams is determined to make history. “I know it will be hard but I am here to win it,” she said. “I was the first woman to win an Olympic gold, and the first to win a gold in the Commonwealth Games. And I will be the first woman to win in the European Games. It can only be once, and I am after it.”

In taekwondo, Aaron Cook suffered a surprisingly early defeat yesterday. The world No 2 turned his back on Britain and switched his allegiance to Moldova despite having no previous links with the small eastern European state. “I came here for the gold medal and feel like I have let them [Moldova] down,” he said. He also missed out on a showdown with his Great Britain rival Lutalo Muhammad.

Britain won their sixth medal of the Games yesterday when James Heatly took a bronze in the one-metre springboard diving. He declared himself “surprised”.