Team GB's Jon Schofield has claimed that he and Liam Heath were happy with their display after qualifying for the final of the men's kayak double (K2) 200m at the European Games.
A second-place finish in qualifying secured their progress in Baku, and Schofield admits that it is exciting to be competing alongside the best in the sport in new surroundings.
"We were very good. We did not have our best start and that is a little bit for us to work on for the final, but apart from that it went pretty much as planned," he told reporters.
"We travelled in the same bus to the venue today with pretty much everyone from the K2 200m, it was the cream of the crop of European paddling. That was quite a cool feeling.
"It's a little bit of history competing in the first European Games. It's great to visit a new country - which it is for most of our competitors - to meet the Azerbaijanis and to race at a new venue. So all around it is exciting."
The British team will continue their bid for gold on Tuesday.
Callum Mulvihill
