Baku 2015: Highlights of the day – 23 June

There was no escaping the heat court-side at the 3x3 Basketball stadium, however, as the much-awaited competition got underway in the morning sun. Greece were among the teams to finish the day with a 100% record, and helping them to that feat was Leonidas Kaselakis who, with the score at 14-13 against Estonia, let fly from deep to score the basket of the day.

In the pool, Germany's Paul Hentschel put in the race of his life to win the 400m freestyle final from an unenviable position in lane one. He may have led going into the final length, but Dimitrius Dimitriou was closing in on him for what proved to be a nail-biting finish. "The guys I beat today have beaten me in the past but it was the best swim of my life," Hentschel said afterwards. Nobody in the crowd would disagree.

Romania's Olympic silver medallist Ana Maria Branza said that she felt 'relaxed and cool' going in to her Epee matches on Tuesday. She needed every ounce of that cool in a dramatic sudden-death semi-final after the scores were tied 11-11 at the end of normal time. Branza would go on to clinch a memorable gold in the final. 

Russia's girls won the 4 x 100m freestyle final at the Baku Aquatics Centre, only narrowly missing out on the world record with their time of 3 minutes, 43.63 seconds. It doesn't look like they were too worried about being three seconds off, however, instead celebrating making history of a different kind as the first ever European Games champions in the event.

 

(baku2015.com)