HIGH DIVING IN “LITTLE CLIFF”
Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series kicks off in La Rochelle in May 2010
The highest platform, the coldest water, the most eagerly-anticipated competition – the
French city of La Rochelle compiles a long list of superlatives for high diving. After
overwhelming success in its first year, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will again kick
off in the town called “little cliff” which, after heavy winter storms, is now ready to host this
dazzling competition. It was ‘Iceman’ Andrey Ignatenko who took a surprise victory in 2009
and the divers’ intense off-season preparation guarantees more jaw-dropping action from
27.45m off the Saint Nicolas Tower on May 15.
The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010 is returning to the start! Exactly 12 months ago it was
France’s first ever cliff diving competition and the very beginning of one of the world’s most
fascinating sports series. During a three-second freefall into an unforgiving, concrete-like water,
cliff diving puts the athletes’ bodies as well as their minds to the test. Only very few have the
physique and acrobatic ability to perform the sport at the highest level; a hand-selected dozen of
whom will launch from the platform of the former guard tower into the Bay of Biscay.
“Bring on the competition!” – 2009 series runner-up Gary Hunt from Southampton, England, says
out loud what his 11 co-competitors are thinking. The winter was used for intense preparation and
improvement; season II of the World Series will almost certainly extend the boundaries of this
breathtaking sport and take it to a whole new level. More twisting, more flipping, increased
difficulty and a new competition format – only the top six after the first two heats will make it to the
final round – add an extra slice of tension for the athletes as well as the audience. What makes
this stop even more unique is the tide-driven water level. Depending on the time of day, the
platform height differs between 26.30m and 27.45m.
On Saturday, May 15, tens of thousands of spectators are expected to watch the cliff diving elite –
among them national heroes Hassan Mouti and Cyrille Oumedjkane from Strasbourg as well as
nine-times world champion Orlando Duque from Colombia – step onto the platform at the Saint
Nicolas Tower and acrobatically open season II of the World Series between 5.30pm and 7.00pm.
ATHLETES
Alain Kohl
LUX
Andrey Ignatenko
UKR
Artem Silchenko
RUS
Cyrille Oumedjkane
FRA
Eber Pava
COL
Gary Hunt
GBR
Hassan Mouti
FRA
Kent De Mond
USA
Michal Navratil
CZE
Orlando Duque
COL
Slava Polyeshchuk
UKR
Steve Black
AUS
CALENDAR & LOCATIONS
May 15
La Rochelle
FRA
June 6
Yucatán
MEX
July 24
Kragerø
NOR
August 8
Polignano a Mare
ITA
August 28
Siskon
SUI
September 12 Hilo/Hawaii
USA
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 will take a leap over the Atlantic Ocean to Mexico (Yucatán) and
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.