Gary Hunt of Great Britain and Rhiannan Iffland of Australia dominated the opening stop of the 2019 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
Hunt, the seven-time champion who won the final four stops last year, began this season exactly where he left off. The Brit is now unbeaten in five competitions across seasons, after collecting 427.25 points in the opening leg in El Nido, Palawan this weekend.
In El Nido's beautiful lagoons, Romania's Constantin Popovici edged the leader after three rounds, Jonathan Paredes from Mexico, out of second place in his first competition as a permanent diver from 27 meters.
There were no surprises in the women's division, as Iffland got off to a flyer and finished with 329.25 points. Yana Nestsiarava from Belarus equalled her best-ever finish in second place, with Canada's Lysanne Richard completing the podium.
With a pair of 10s for Paredes' first dive of the season, the Mexican launched immaculately from the rocky off-the-cliffs spots above emerald green lagoon waters, taking the lead into round four.
However, it was in this final round when Popovici's impressive armstand dive earned the Romanian the high score of the day and his first-ever World Series podium, just 1.35 points ahead of Mexico's style master.
It was record winner Hunt, though, who nailed his final dive to stay unbeaten with his dive list for a fifth time.
"I knew it was going to be a tough competition. Constantin pushed me right until the edge and that’s been like that for a couple of competitions now. I know it’s not going to be easy, but that’s one," said Hunt.
Iffland, a three-time champion, surprised herself by winning for the 12th time in 18 events. Sitting in third after two rounds from the rocky launchpads in the Small Lagoon, the 27-year-old showed no nerves with the best dive in the final round to keep her contenders in check and continue her winning form from 21 meters.
"Super happy and a bit surprised as well. I was standing up there and thought the win is a bit out of my reach, but I do like that extra bit of pressure. It definitely helps me when I’m out on the platform," said Iffland.
"It helps me to stay calm and collected and enjoy what I do. Super stoked and kind of out of words," she added.
Under the scorching Philippines sun, it was Belarusian Nestsiarava, the surprise leader before making the way over to the platforms for the more complex dives, who came closest to the Australian.
Canada's Richard, at 37 the most experienced permanent diver in the women’s, secured 3rd place to make it 10 career podiums.
In the remote location, the divers were tasked with kayaking, rock-climbing and traversing ladders before they even reached their take-off positions. Once on their platform the phenomenal views across the lagoons were certainly worth the effort.
From here, they move on to chillier waters in Dublin, Ireland for the second new stop on the calendar in a month’s time.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
