It was a remarkable night for Team Great Britain as Jack Laugher and Chris Mears won Great Britain’s first Olympic diving gold medal with victory in the men’s synchronised 3m springboard in Rio. The pair produced a sparkling display to add the Olympic title to their Commonwealth and European crowns.
The Britons scored a total of 454.32 to end China’s hopes of a clean sweep of diving golds at the Games. Qin Kai and Cao Yuan had to settle for bronze (443.70) behind US pair Sam Dorman and Mike Hixon (450.21).
Laugher and Mears, who was given a 5% chance of surviving serious illness in 2009, stopped China winning a fourth successive gold in Rio. The Chinese have dominated the sport for decades, having topped the medal table for seven successive Olympic Games and eight World Championships. But their ambitions of winning all eight events in Brazil were ruined by the British pair, who live and train together in Leeds.
Laugher, 21, and Mears, 23, broke down in tears inside the Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre when their victory was confirmed by Qin and Cao’s faltering final dive. Mears (left) and Laugher scored dives of 52.80, 53.40, 84.66, 85.68, 86.58 and 91.20
The pair led the standings from the end of round three, showing remarkable composure to continue setting the pace and then execute a brilliant final dive under pressure.
Mears and Laugher scored 91.20 with a forward four-and-a-half somersault with tuck, leaving China needing more than 93.84 to win. Qin and Cao, the reigning world champions, were the penultimate divers to go, but only scored 83.22 to spark jubilant celebrations among the British team.
[BBC Sport]
