by Our Sports Desk

NICOLA ADAMS claimed another first yesterday, picking up the inaugural European Games boxing gold to add to her Olympic haul.

The Leeds-born bantamweight hailed herself the “comeback kid” as her medal rounded off her return from complicated shoulder surgery last year.

The injury put paid to her bid to claim a World Championship title to add to the metalwork she picked up as winner of the first-ever women’s boxing medal at the London Olympics.

But she unleashed a fiery performance to dispatch Poland’s Sandra Drabik on a majority points decision — two judges ranking the fight 39-37 and the third 38 apiece — at the first European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Adams said: “I feel fantastic and I can’t believe I am bringing home another piece of history for Great Britain. It’s great to be able to create history all the time.

“I trained really hard for these European Games. I just wanted to show everybody what I am about and that I am here to stay.

“I am like a comeback kid — you can never keep me down for long.”

Looking ahead to the qualifiers for next year’s Rio Olympics, she added: “Touch wood, I haven’t had any injuries so far and I am hoping it will stay this way all the way to Rio.”

Earlier in the day Sandy Ryan’s bid for the podium top spot was cut down by Russian Anastasia Beliakova, who won their light-welterweight semi-final by unanimous decision — repeating the victory in the world championship final earlier in the year.

The bronze-medallist said: “The right girl won on the day but I’m gutted because I know I can beat her with more experience and it is all part of the learning curve.”