Adventure Travel News

2nd victory for the Briton in Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010 in Yucatán

His personal perception of cliff diving is “out of this world” and Gary Hunt’s performance these days can also be described as not of this world: the 25-year-old’s innovative style and creativity culminated in the second consecutive win at Sunday’s competition of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010 in Yucatán, Mexico. The exotic surrounding of Cenote Ik Kil was the perfect venue for high-class high diving from 27.25m into sacred fresh water.

The Triple Quad – the most difficult dive, the first one exclusively perceived for cliff diving and invented by the Southampton-based diver – assured Gary Hunt top spot on the podium. With the day’s top score of 160.00 points he took the lead by 27.25 points ahead of his closest competitor in round two. To pick up his trophy he only needed a solid third dive, but his spirit of innovation was rewarded once more: “It is hard work and practice. Learning all my difficult dives last year has paid off. I don’t know why the others don’t try the same DD but I suppose it’s because it’s a very difficult dive and you cannot practice in a diving pool. You just have to trust in yourself and go for it. When you see somebody before you get good scores, like Artem, it definitely makes you think that you have to do this and you go for 10s every time.”

After a 2nd place at the kick-off competition in La Rochelle, France, three weeks ago, nine-times world champion Orlando Duque from Colombia finished 3rd (348.40 points). Performing an impressive new dive with a so-called blind entry – a rarely shown landing manouevre where the diver sees the water for the last time at least half a somersault before the entry and lines up “blind” – Artem Silchenko (RUS) claimed 2nd position (363.05 points). In the overall standings after two out of six stops Englishman Hunt leads with a score of 40 points ahead of Orlando Duque (29 points) and Artem Silchenko (27 points).

27.25m above fresh water, with schools of small catfish down below, the diving platform overlooked the Sacred Blue Cenote, probably the most impressive of allegedly 3,000 of these mystical sinkholes on the northern Yucatán Peninsula. The well is 60m in diameter, with water 39m deep and was used as a place of sacrifice in pre-Columbian times. Being the most remote of all the 2010 Series locations only a few people looking for respite in the pristine water witnessed the acrobatic free falls on June 6.

For the 3rd stop the World Series will come back to Europe and be hosted by the Norwegian summer hot spot Kragerø on July 24, 2010.

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010. The world’s best divers, six challenging competitions and 26 metres between take off and hitting the water smoothly, via athletic perfection. A selection of famous and well-known diving spots, as well as extraordinary natural and challenging urban venues, have been chosen. Occurring for the second year, the share between known and new locations is 50-50. Starting on May 15 in La Rochelle (FRA), the series took a leap over the Atlantic Ocean to Mexico (Yucatán) and will come back to Europe for competitions in Norway (Kragerø), Italy (Polignano a Mare) and Switzerland (Sisikon), before reaching the land of the sport’s origin, Hawaii (Hilo), on September 12 for the grand final.

Red Bull Cliff Diving competitions are judged by five international jurors with scores awarded according to the degree of difficulty and the execution of the dive.

Pictures free for editorial use: info in picture caption | Credit: VC – Vincent Curutchet, RD – Ray Demski

Official website: www.redbullcliffdiving.com

Saturday, 15th May, 2010 – 50,000 spectators, 27.50 metres, 14° water temperature and an English winner – the sport’s most distinguished series of competitions started with the victory of cliff diver Gary Hunt. On May 15 the historic port of La Rochelle hosted the eagerly-anticipated high diving battle and it exceeded all expectations. The spectators’ never-ending cheering motivated the athletes to flaunt their jaw-dropping leaps from Saint Nicolas Tower. Orlando Duque (COL) and Kent De Mond (USA) finished second and third respectively.

2009’s series runner-up Hunt performed the most difficult dive and started season II of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series the way he finished the last – with a victory. In freezing conditions, 25 year-old Gary Hunt was awarded three tens for his last dive by the international jury and scored 390.10 points overall. “To finish ahead of Orlando Duque is great, he’s the one we’re all chasing. I went with a very difficult dive in the second round and in the third was happy with how I hit. The competition is great this year and I think after La Rochelle that it can get much better. I’m pleased that in the off-season I haven’t lost the momentum I had built up at the end of the last series. It was strange hearing the British national anthem in France, I wasn’t expecting that, but it was nice!” the Southampton-based diver said. He relegated nine times world champion and World Series champion 2009 Orlando Duque from Colombia (369.30 points) to second place and American Kent De Mond (328.25 points) to third.

The new competition format – only the top six after the first two heats make it to the final round – added an extra slice of tension for the athletes. Don’t save the best till last was the finalists’ strategy and each of them performed the dive with the highest degree of difficulty in the decisive second heat. This meant a lot of pressure on the athletes’ shoulders but all the better show for the hardy crowd of 50,000 that packedthe historic port of La Rochelle inspite of the cold. At single-digit outside temperatures and heavy winds, walking was hardly possible for the divers after the landing in ice-cold water. It was the French audience’s enthusiasm that let the high divers compete on quite literally the highest level.

To heat the competition between the world’s best high divers up the second stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010 will be hosted in Yucatán, Mexico on June 6.

Press release care of: www.redbullcliffdiving.com.