GWANGJU, South Korea, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Gary Hunt of Britain won a gold medal in the men's 27m high diving at the 18th FINA World Championships in the South Korean city of Gwangju on Wednesday.

Hunt ranked in fourth place after the first two rounds, but he advanced to third in the third attempt before finishing first in the last and fourth round with a score of 442.20 points. He claimed a world title in high diving in 2015.

The British diver was followed by Steve LoBue of the United States, who led the field for the first three rounds.

LoBue failed to win his second consecutive world title in the high diving, which was introduced as a medal match at the biennial event in 2013.

Jonathan Paredes of Mexico took a bronze medal with 430.15 points. The Mexican diver won bronze at the inaugural high diving competition in 2013 and silver in 2015 each.