By Paul Ford.
After twelve days of sporting action in Kraków-Małopolska, Team GB are returning victorious after our most successful European Games yet.
Our athletes delivered exactly as we had prepared for. They thrived on the field of play, executing performance plans to the letter and bringing home results that speak for themselves.
We broke the record we set in Baku 2015, winning more medals than we have ever done before at a European Games with 84 of our 177 athletes taking the podium.
We saw medal-winning performances in 13 of the sports we were represented in, with several athletes winning multiple medals or executing world leading times and scores. We were the leading nation in both rugby sevens and BMX, and a top three nation in archery, modern pentathlon, canoe slalom and diving.
And there were plenty of standout moments and notable ‘firsts’ – from Eden Cheng’s final dive in the 10m platform taking her from fourth to first; the steely nerve of 18-year-old archer Penny Healey leading her to double gold; a scorching second run from Kieran Reilly making him the first man in history to win a gold medal for Team GB in BMX freestyle park; and Ranjuo Tomblin becoming Team GB’s first male artistic swimmer, winning two bronze medals along the way.
Since our very first plans for Kraków began to form, our ambition was threefold: we wanted to put the very best plans in place to help athletes achieve their best possible performances on the field of play, and to create a culture in which every member of our delegation could come away with a positive experience of the Games.
But our overall focus was geared towards the future, and with Paris 2024 coming ever closer, we wanted to support every sport on their path to qualifying for and preparing for the Olympic Games.
In Kraków, twenty Team GB athletes across six sports secured quota spots for Paris 2024 – more than any other nation at the competition – and in the sports that didn’t have quota spots up for grabs, we secured 13 podium spots to bank all-important ranking points. These achievements put the team in fantastic shape ahead of next year.
We welcomed new faces to the Team GB family, both athletes and support staff, and worked hard to cultivate the One Team GB ethos that has served us so well in the past. We saw the entire delegation embrace our values of pride, unity, respect and responsibility, and the positive impact this had on our performance environment was clear for all to see.
Leading Team GB into competition is an enormous privilege, and one that relies on the combined efforts of a fantastic support team. My sincerest thanks go to all those involved in the planning and delivery of these Games.
Finally, I cannot praise the brilliant display of our athletes enough. Everyone at Team GB is incredibly proud of what they have achieved, and what they continue to do to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
With a little over a year until the next Olympic Games, we look forward to bringing them all with us on the next stage of the journey.
Paul Ford
Team GB Chef de Mission, Kraków 2023
Main Photo: Delicious Orie was selected as Team GB flagbearer after winning gold at record-breaking European Games. Photo credit: Team GB
