Layla Black has said that she has been left "ecstatic" after earning a bronze medal for Great Britain in the women's 200m breaststroke at the European Games.
The 14-year-old recorded a time of 2:27.61 to finish ahead of older and more experienced rivals, including teammate Georgia Coates, who was forced to settle for fifth.
Black, who will also compete in the 100m breaststroke on Friday, reached the podium in Baku two days after missing out on a medal in the 50m race by just 0.13 seconds.
Sports Mole caught up with Black shortly after the event to talk about her performance, which included a dramatic comeback in the final 50m.
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So you're a bronze medallist - can you sum up how you're feeling?
"I'm ecstatic, I'm still shaking. I dunno, I'm good."
What were your expectations going into the race, having been the second fastest qualifier?
"Well I knew that the Italian (Giulia Verona) and the Russian (Maria Astashkina) were obviously going to go faster because on paper they're faster, but I just tried to like stick to my race plan and hope for the best."
Does that qualifying time give you more confidence or increase the nerves?
"Confidence, because I wasn't really expecting to go that fast in the semi-final, but to do it really helped me to make sure I was swimming well and finish it off in the final."
The time in the final was a bit slower than the semi-final, but are you happy with it?
"Yeah, it's my first time doing heats, semis and finals - I've never done it before - so to be within the same half-second to second, it's good to know for the future in competitions."
Did your performance in the 50m earlier this week make you think that a medal was perhaps more possible in this one?
"Yeah, I knocked 0.3s off or something in the 50m, so 0.3s per 50m is PB and a medal, so that was really helpful for confidence."
Being a medallist at such a young age at a major Games like this, it must give you huge confidence for the future?
"Yeah, I know the other girls are a year to two years older than me, so thinking that I'm coming in the top three with them, for future years it really helps me think a gold medal is in grasp if I'm keeping up with them and I'm only 14."
You had plenty of work to do in that final 50m - what was going through your mind at the turn?
"I had a bit of a feel for the race, I thought a few people were in front of me and I thought 'I can't let this one go, I need this medal, I want it!'
"So I was just trying to keep it going and hit the last 50m, because it's normally my tactics to just hold it and then smash them on the last 50m when everyone else is dying. So I just tried to stick to that."
Were you always confident of pulling it back?
"I remember the first time I did that tactic, I caught up 15m or something like that! So I've always been quite confident doing the back 50m, back 100m."
Are there nerves involved for you competing on such a big stage at such a young age?
"Yeah. I did feel a bit sick before but it helps because when I'm older and I've got bigger competitions, I'll know what it's like and what to expect."
Barney Corkhill
