Jack Laugher produced a stunning display at the Diving World Series event in Dubai to claim the 3m springboard gold and become only the second Briton after Tom Daley to become a World Series champion.
The 20-year-old Team GB star led from the front, scoring over 90 points in all but one of his dives to finish on 564.35 points, a massive 32.50 ahead of China’s He Chong in second, with compatriot Cao Yuan taking the bronze.
And after rounding off his performance with the top scoring dive of the event, Laugher admitted that the eye-opening challenge posed by the Chinese divers had a surprising effect on him.
“He Chong is one of my idols, he’s Olympic champion and managed to hold his reign for ten years now, so diving after him and seeing him do his good dives really motivated me and spurred me on to do some pretty cool things and get a massive personal best.
“Last year was a very good year for me, but I have matured and I feel a lot stronger – and it’s noticeable in the pool.
“I really like this pool and the boards here are great too, so it’s easy to push through and get the height on the dive.
“We’ve been working a lot in the off-season and it’s really starting to pay off.
“The Great Britain support tonight was absolutely fantastic, I never knew we would get this much support. It’s really nice coming out and having the fans cheer you on, it motivates you to put on a great performance.”
© Sportsbeat 2015