Article originally published 10/08/2016: due to a technical issue this article may have resurfaced for some readers, and the original publish date may not have been visible.
Jack Laugher and Chris Mears have made history by bagging Britain’s first ever Olympic gold medal in diving.
The Team GB pair saw off the American and Chinese challenge in the 3m synchronised springboard dive - following on from Tom Daley and Dan Goodfellow’s bronze in the 10m synchro two days ago.
British TV viewers were loving the Yorkshire duo.
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Mears, 23, had life-saving surgery to remove a spleen ruptured while diving in 2009. Mears was fifth alongside Nick Robinson-Baker at London 2012, while Laugher finished a lowly 27th in the individual event four years ago.
The British pair, who share a home in Leeds, led at the halfway point of the competition, which took place in typically British conditions. It was cold and raining.
And they enhanced their advantage by scoring 85.68 for their inward 3½ somersaults with tuck.
A score of 86.58 for their forward 2½ somersault 3 twists – the most difficult dive in their repertoire – saw the Britons take an advantage of 2.64 into the final round.
After a delay while Mexico were denied a re-dive, the American duo piled the pressure on Britain in a tense podium battle.
But Mears and Laugher kept their composure, with their forward 4½ somersault with tuck well executed and scoring 91.20 to take them to a total of 454.32.
China needed better than 93.84 to win, but faltered, scoring 83.22, which sparked jubilant celebrations among the British contingent.
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