Staffordshire's Joe Clarke leads Team GB out at the European Games

The Stafford & Stone paddler was a flagbearer alongside rugby sevens co-captain Abbie Brown – with the pair chosen as 'athletes that exemplify the Olympic values and uphold the Team GB values of pride, responsibility, respect and unity'.

Clarke said: "It's an absolute honour to be one of the flagbearers.

"When I got asked I was super proud and excited. I told my parents and they were buzzing! To carry the flag for Team GB is a massive thing and something you dream of – I've seen plenty of athletes do it on TV so to be among them is pretty special."

Clarke followed in the footsteps of double Olympic champion boxer Nicola Adams, who carried the flag at the Baku 2015 European Games, and Olympic bronze medal-winning judoka Sally Conway, who had the honour at Minsk 2019.

The 30-year-old, who won gold in the K1 event at the Rio 2016 Olympics, will be hoping to lay the foundations for the next Olympics, Paris 2024, off the back of his gold medal at the World Cup in Ljubljana-Tacen last weekend.

Team GB Chef de Mission Paul Ford added: “Being given the honour of leading Team GB out at a Games is a big milestone in an athlete’s career, and when I spoke to both Abbie and Joe you could hear the excitement in their voices.

"Both are world class performers and leaders whose values represent what the entire team is here to do – be highly competitive, advance qualification for Paris 2024, and embrace being part of one Team GB.”