China's Cao Yuan makes up for synchronized loss with individual gold

Cao Yuan of China wins men's 3m springboard final at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Aug 17, 2016. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/chinadaily.com.cn]

RIO DE JANEIRO - Cao Yuan easily won the men's individual 3 metre springboard event on Tuesday and gave his dominant Chinese team its fifth diving gold medal of the Games.

The 21-year-old Cao topped his group in both the preliminaries and semi-finals and led the final 12 from his first to his sixth dive for a score of 547.60.

It is Cao's first individual Olympic title and the second gold of his career after his synchronised platform win in London 2012.

Britain's Jack Laugher, also 21, took the silver after winning the gold in synchronised 3 metre springboard here.

Germany's Patrick Hausding, who placed fourth in London, won the bronze and had the highest scoring dive of the finals at 98.80.

The water in the diving pool was back to a light, albeit slightly murky, blue on Tuesday after a treatment fixed the hydrogen peroxide dump that turned it green for most of the competition.