World Aquatics Championships: Jack Laugher & Haslam reach 3m individual final

Jack Laugher won gold in the synchronised 3m springboard at the Rio Olympics

Britain's Jack Laugher progressed to the individual 3m springboard World Championship final after impressing in the semi-finals in Budapest.

Laugher, a Rio 2016 Olympic champion in the synchronised 3m event and silver medallist in the individual competition, finished second.

He totalled 498.75 from his six routines, with only China's Yuan Coa (517.45) achieving higher in Hungary.

Laugher will be joined in Thursday's final by team-mate Ross Haslam.

Harrogate's Laugher, 22, finished fourth alongside Chris Mears in the synchronised event on Saturday and is looking to better the individual bronze medal he won at the last World Championships in Kazan, Russia, two years ago.

His girlfriend Lois Toulson and Matty Lee - who claimed mixed 10m silver on Saturday - are GB's only diving medallists so far in Budapest.

"Lois did a cracking job with the silver alongside Matty and it's our best result so far," Laugher told BBC Sport.

"After the synchro I'm a bit gutted, but individual has been my strongest event this year and hopefully with a score like that today, in the final I'll be able to do something magical."

Haslam, 18, who is making his World Championship debut, believes diving in the non-Olympic 1m springboard event over the weekend helped boost his performance in the 3m competition.

"If you'd have told me at the start of the year I'd be in a world final now, I'd have said 'keep joking' so it's amazing," he told BBC Sport.

"The 1m really helped take away the nerves when I was getting out there today and in the final I just have to do my best and keep it consistent."

In addition to the conclusion of the men's 3m competition, Thursday's action will also see the start of the women's individual 3m event.

Grace Reid and Katherine Torrance - who were fifth together in the synchronised event on Monday - will both be in action.

Analysis

Bob Ballard, diving commentator

Jack Laugher getting through to the final was expected, but it's an added bonus to see Sheffield's Ross Haslam reach his second one of the week.

Having made the 1m final on day one, the British 3m champion was consistent, apart from problems again on his fifth-round dive, and the 19-year-old is learning a lot from this experience. Many more illustrious competitors bowed out in the preliminaries or semi-final.

As for Laugher, if he can nail his 3.9 tariff dive, there is a gold up for grabs on Thursday.