Hales secured Great Britain’s first medal of the day as he set a Games record, shooting 48 out of 50 to claim gold on his Olympics debut.
The 28-year-old, who set the world record by hitting 49/50 to win his first World Cup title in Linato last year, qualified for the final by recording a score of 123/125 from five rounds to progress joint-first in the 30-man field.
Hales made the perfect start in the final, hitting 15 out of 15 shots, and held his lead throughout as the five other competitors were eliminated one by one.
He celebrated by pumping his fist, before raising his shotgun in the air with both hands as fans waved British flags in the crowd, pipping China’s Qi Yang, who took silver, and Guatemalan bronze medallist Jean Pierre Brol Cardenas.
Guy, Dean, Richards and Scott then added Team GB’s fourth gold of the Games and their 12th medal overall with success in the pool in the evening.
The team held a slender lead going into the final leg before Scott brought the team home to win by a comfortable 1.35 seconds.
Victory marked the first time a British relay quartet has retained an Olympic title in swimming or athletics.
Elsewhere in the pool, Team Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen set a new Olympic record of 7:38.19 in the men’s 800m freestyle to become Northern Ireland’s first individual gold medallist since Lady Mary Peters in 1972.
