Baku, Azerbaijan, June 22
By Aygun Badalova - Trend:
The atmosphere at the First European Games in Baku is great, The Irish Times reported citing Irish boxer Katie Taylor.
"I have to say the atmosphere at these games is great, and it always feel like such a privilege to be representing your country. It's such a strong team, and a young team, and to be a part of it is fantastic," she said.
Katie Taylor is the current Irish, European, World and Olympic Champion in the 60 kg division.
Taylor told that she is nervous before every fight. But those nerves, she believes, are always important.
"I think that's the same for every competition by now. I always get that pressure and there's no difference here. I just focus on my performance," she said.
"And I think I'm hungrier now than I ever was. I want to leave a great legacy, and I want to continue to win major championships. It's such a privilege to represent the country, in such a big competition. It's great to see women's boxing in such a good state, and I like to stamp my authority on those younger boxers coming through," Taylor added.
The European Games that kicked off in Baku June 12, will last till June 28. There is a total of 20 sports at Baku 2015: 16 Olympic sports and four non-Olympic sports. More than 6,000 athletes from across Europe are representing their nations over 17 days of competition.
Baku was awarded the games by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in December 2012.
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Aygun Badalova is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AygunBadalova