Max Whitlock wins Team GB's tenth gold medal with pommel title in Tokyo

'This was the most nervous I’ve been for any competition I’ve ever done' says Whitlock

Max Whitlock rose to the occasion once again to successfully defend his Olympic pommel title at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

The gymnast's win takes Team GB's gold medal tally at this year's Olympics to ten.

The 28-year-old back-to-back Olympic champion said defending his title had been “a million times harder” than winning it for the first time in Rio in 2016.

Whitlock went first in the eight-man final and posted a score of 15.583 that proved unbeatable, with Chinese Taipei’s Chih Kai Lee coming closest on 15.4, and Japan’s Kazuma Kaya winning bronze.

Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan, who had topped the qualifying standings alongside Lee, came off the apparatus early in his routine and finished out of the medals.

“This is probably the most pressured environment I’ve ever been in,” Whitlock told the BBC.

“Experience pays a lot in situations like this and I’m just incredibly happy and thankful for the journey that we’ve been on to get here.”

Wife Leah Whitlock tweeted her congratulations for the gymnast writing: "We are so unbelievably proud of you.

"You did the most amazing routine going up first and under so much pressure and you went for it. Just amazing.

"We can’t wait to see you! We love you so much!!"

Earlier, Charlotte Worthington took the gold in the BMX park free-style, becoming the first woman to land a 360 degree back-flip in the competition.

And in the final race in the pool, Britain's swimmers claimed an eighth medal - the most they've ever won in any Olympics.

It all means that Team GB's medal count now stands at ten gold medals, ten silver and 12 bronze.

With a standout medal haul, British swimmers have been singled out for particular praise in Team GB's success.

Earlier on Sunday, Duncan Scott won a record fourth medal at the Games with a silver in the medley relay alongside Luke Greenbank, James Guy, and Adam Peaty. They were narrowly pipped to first by the United States, who clocked a world record to seal gold.

The silver work put Scott in the history books as the first British athlete to win four medals at a single Olympics.

He told ITV News he had "more thanks than anyone, ever to give at a single games."

"I've been a part of some amazing relay teams, without them I wouldn't have had a gold medal and been an Olympic champion

"And then the relay today, it's always really special racing with those guys and delivering on the world stage is great.

"I'm just incredible fortunate with who I have around me," he added.

Duncan Scott says it's not 'settled in' yet - becoming the first GB athlete to win four medals at a single Olympics

Britain finished 0.73 seconds adrift in a new European record time as they claimed a record eighth swimming medal – four golds, three silvers and a bronze – beating their previous best haul from the 1908 London Games. They were unable to win a race at London 2012 while Peaty was their only gold medallist at Rio four years later, so the 26-year-old from Uttoxeter admitted to feeling bittersweet by the result of the final swimming event in Japan. But Peaty said their performance over the Olympics shows "how much the culture has changed in British swimming."

'We're not team tourist anymore': Adam Peaty underlines why he believes British swimming is 'on the up'

"British swimming is on the up and I think a lot of teams - not just within the swimming world but within the British team circle - are going to be looking at us and our model to success," he told ITV News.

"And it’s really that we are not allowed to have an ego, firstly. Everyone’s at a level playing field, if you want to get something you earn it from that day."

He added: "I thought just to get to the Olympics was a huge – it is still a huge thing – but that’s how much the culture has changed in British swimming, that we’re not team tourist anymore.

"You need to earn that spot on the team."

'I was blown away': Legendary British swimmer Mark Foster praises the swimming results

Mark Foster, former world champion and one Great Britain's most successful ever swimmers, echoed Peaty's comments that the result show "how far we've come."

"I was blown away, we all had expectations but then them delivering results was always the hard thing," he told ITV News.

"We went in with lots of number one seeded swimmers in the world and they delivered.

"Adam Peaty led the way with the team getting the gold on the second night with the breaststroke and that sort of fed through the team, that sort of belief ran through the team.

"You can always see strength in depth within a team when it comes to the relays and the fact we won the men's 4 x 200 freestyle relay and then won the mixed 4 x 100 medley relay just shows you how far we’ve come."

He added: "Across the board great results. We also had a few people in finals that didn’t quite get there, but were very close. But next time in three years they’ll have a lot more hunger."