Gordon Benson was full of praise for his teammates after he wrote his name into the history books as he became the first ever male European Games triathlon champion.
Under the hot sun at Bilgah Beach, Benson and his compatriots Philip Graves and Thomas Bishop set about ensuring they were in the contention for a medal.
The trio were in the lead pack for the majority of the race with the Graves’ efforts on the bike in particular helping Benson take the lead in the running portion.
And despite the best efforts of Portugal’s Joao Silva, Benson was in no mood to relinquish his lead as he grabbed Team GB’s first medal of Baku 2015, taking gold in 1:48.31 hours.
Silva was 11 seconds behind in second place while third went to home favourite Rostyslav Pevtsov, with Bishop coming home 16th and Graves coming home 46th.
And while his teammates might have been some way off the podium, Benson is adamant they more than played their part in his victory.
"It feels brilliant. I couldn't have done it without the lads Phil and Tom as they really helped me and it feels great to come here and deliver,” said Benson, who secured Team GB a quota place for the Rio Olympics with this success.
“The boys delivered and we got the breakaway and thankfully we left all the betters runners behind and I had enough left in my legs to finish the job.
“The guys did a great job and they put me in front to finish the job. It was a real team effort. It's a shame we couldn't get three medals, but getting gold is great.
“Rio is in the background. I just do what I do and I race to win. I am still 21 and I enjoy myself I love racing and I’m happy to get the gold.”
© Sportsbeat 2015