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After 17 days of thrilling competition, the first edition of the European Games came to an end on 28 June. Across 20 sports in 18 venues, new heroes were born and older stars burned brightly. History was made and a marker was set as Baku welcomed the world in its own inimitable style.

The city and its thousands of visitors witnessed a festival of top-level sport, as some of the world’s leading athletes rubbed shoulders with stars of tomorrow. From the sands of the Beach Arena, to the Wrestling mats of Heydar Aliyev Arena, medals were won, records set and friendships made.

When the dust settled, it was the Russians on top of the pile. And by some margin. The country finished with a stunning 164 medals, 79 of them gold. Hosts Azerbaijan also rose to the occasion, winning an impressive 56 medals, 21 of them gold, to finish second in the medal table. Great Britain were third, with 47 medals, 18 of them gold, with Diving providing the team with a particularly good return.

Nowhere was Russian dominance more pronounced than in the Swimming pool, where its starlets won 23 of the 42 gold medals up for grabs and set five junior world records in the process. Stand-out performers were Arina Openysheva, who won seven golds, and Daniil Pakhomov, who won four golds and twice broke the junior world record in 100m butterfly.

In Synchronised Swimming too, the Russians swept all before them, while in Artistic Gymnastics, they won the men’s and women’s teams events, and Yana Kudryavtseva left all her Rhythmic Gymnastics rivals trailing in her gold dust.

Swiss gymnast Giulia Steingruber, the only double apparatus winner, stopped the Russians having it all their way in Artistic Gymnatics, and her nation had laid down an early marker in the Games,winning six of the first nine medals, with stunning success in Mountain Bike and Triathlon on the first full day of competition.

While youngsters ruled the pool, other sports produced heroic stories from athletes at the other end of the age spectrum. In Fencing, 43-year-old Ivan Trevejo won two golds for France after nearly a decade out of the sport, while in Table Tennis, 42-year-old Li Jiao won the women’s singles title for the Netherlands, as well as team silver.

Azerbaijan’s success came in traditional areas, such as Wrestling, Karate and Boxing, but its athletes also medalled in sports less associated with the host nation, including Triathlon, Canoe Sprint and Fencing. If the atmosphere at the Wrestling was the most passionate, local fans also took their women’s Volleyball team to heart, and a brave run to the semi-finals had Baku's Crystal Hall rocking.

As if winning the first ever European Game wasn't enough, athletes had extra incentive in the shape of qualification for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. While a host of sports offered ranking points and the chance to achieve qualification standards, Triathlon, Table Tennis and Shooting offered direct qualification.

Down at the Beach Arena, it was easy to imagine you were already Rio, as Beach Volleyball and Beach Soccer brought some razzmatazz to proceedings. The former provided unexpected champions, while the latter thrilled with a seemingly never-ending supply of wonder goals. The adjacent 3x3 Basketball competition was a fitting neighbour, its high-octane skills and street spiritbringing the buzz of youth to the Games.

Elsewhere, the two biggest names in women’s Boxing – Katie Taylor and Nicola Adams – confirmed their status in style, the team Athletics competition ended in high drama and the Cycling road races boasted thrilling sprint finishes at the end of gruelling courses that showcased the best of Baku, ancient and modern.

The Games were also a chance for a number of non-Olympic sports to strut their stuff. Karate, Sambo, Acrobatic and Aerobic Gymnastics, Beach Soccer and 3x3 Basketball all put on spectacular shows and furthered their cases for Olympic inclusion.

Sambo, a combat sport that was developed by the Soviet Army in the 1920s, provided one of the defining images of the Games. As defeated fighter Amil Gasimov lay in crumpled heap, in agony and unable to get up, his opponent Stsiapan Papou put his gold medal celebrations on hold. The Belarusian helped up the Azerbaijani world champion and carried him off the mat, reminding everyone watching that in sport, and in life, winning isn't everything.

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