Nathan Hales wins Team GB's third gold medal in Paris as debutant sets Olympic record in the men's trap shooting final
- Nathan Hales won Team GB's third gold medal of the Paris Olympics
- He set an Olympic record in the final with a stunning performance
- Hales nailed 48 of his targets and was one shy of his own world record
Nathan Hales picked up Team GB's third gold medal of the Paris Olympics by winning the men's trap final for shooting on Tuesday afternoon.
On his Olympic debut, the 28-year-old booked his place in the final with an accomplished performance in the morning heats, and kept his cool under pressure in the scorching afternoon sun.
He held the joint-lead from the start of the final, and then picked his rivals off one by one.
Six men entered the final, but only three remained with 15 targets remaining, as Hales guaranteed himself a medal alongside Qi Ying of China and Guatemala's Jean Pierre Brol Cardenas.
Brol Cardenas was the first of the final three to fall by the wayside, and Hales never looked like losing his advantage to Ying as he nailed 48 of his 50 targets to set an Olympic record.
Nathan Hales set an Olympic record to win the men's trap final on Tuesday afternoon
He nailed 48 of his targets, and was only one shy of the world record he set last year
He beat off competition from China's Qi Ying (left) and Guatemala's Jean Pierre Brol Cardenas (right) to claim gold
Hales wiped away tears as he picked up his gold medal on Tuesday afternoon
But he was soon beaming with pride as he posed with his coveted gold medal
The previous record stood at 43, but Hales cruised past that mark as he delivered on the biggest stage.
It was only one shy of the world record Hales set last year in Lonato, Italy.
Hales celebrated by punching the air and then proudly holding aloft the Union Jack alongside his fellow medallists.
As he later picked up his medal, Hales wiped away tears on an emotional afternoon for the Brit.
He joins GB's equestrian eventing team and cross-country cyclist Tom Pidcock as the nation's only gold medallists in France so far.
Team GB now have 11 medals in total - three golds, five silvers and three bronzes.
