Jack Laugher and Chris Mears combined to deadly effect to win Great Britain's first ever diving gold medal in the men's synchronised 3m springboard at the Rio 2016 Olympics Games. The Team GB pair led from the halfway stage and never looked back, scoring 454.32 and cruising to gold ahead of the teams from the United States and China.

Catch up on all of the Rio 2016 Olympics news

More about Rio 2016

Laugher and Mears won world championship bronze in Kazan in 2015 but yet were considered outsiders for a medal in Brazil. Tom Daley and Daniel Goodfellow won bronze in the 10m platform event, but their British teammates went two better to win GB their third gold medal of the Games, and second on what increasingly turned into a stunning day five.

Britain laid down the gauntlet in their final dive — amid inclement conditions around the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre — with a forward 4½ somersault, which scored a massive 91.20. China required the highest score of the competition, but despite having won the men's and women's 10m events in the proceeding two days, were unable to match the performance and eventually had to settle for third.

Laugher said: "We did a fantastic job today. It wasn't even our best and we've come away with this gold medal. We're lucky and happy with how it has gone. It is ridiculous.

"I was so emotional at the end in a refection of how much hard work I've put in and how far I've come from nothing to now everything; this is the big one today. To do it alongside my best friend, from London to know is unbelievable. To get this is beyond worth it and it's crazy."

On the penultimate dive which all-but secured gold, Mears added: "Any dive under pressure is nerve-racking and that was our high pressure dive. I managed to get a good finish so I got a good individual score. We have scored more on it but it was a good enough today and put us in a good place for the sixth round."

Rio 2016 Olympics