Canada’s Molly Carlson and Britain’s Aidan Heslop take their first victories at the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Bostonbeating the current male and female champions with an exceptional performance at the Institute of Contemporary Art.
In her first appearance as a permanent World Series athlete, following an impressive debut season as a wildcard in 2021, the 23-year-old Carlson nailed four rounds of flawless diving to overtake five-time champion Rhiannan Iffland, ending her streak of 13 Australian victories. Coming into the fourth and final round, the two divers were tied for first place. In her last jump, Carlson received the first 10 of the year, the highest mark from the judges.
Meili Carpenter, in her fourth appearance in the World Series, gave the American fans a great deal of joy by scoring her first podium finish at the waterfront museum. For her part, her compatriot Eleanor Smart put in a solid performance and finished just behind the podium positions in fourth place.
In the men’s category, the 20-year-old Heslop, also in his first performance as a permanent diver, was literally too good for his more experienced rivals, leaving nine-time champion Gary Hunt of France behind with his final jump – a quadruple somersault. forward with three and a half corkscrews – which broke the single jump scoring record in diving history.
After a rather weak start on day one, Romanian Catalin Preda finished third in his first performance as a permanent diver to complete the podium. His compatriot and runner-up in the 2021 general classification, Constantin Popovici, leader following two days, fell back in the classification following failing to hit his difficult jumps. The 33-year-old diver from Bucharest finished in 10th position.
Gary Hunt and Rhiannan Iffland have been unstoppable in recent years. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2017 to find the last time someone else lifted the King Kahekili Trophy, reserved for outright winners. However, last season both came under pressure from their rivals and now the new generation has dealt a heavy blow in this year’s premiere. With 14 World Series titles between them, the champions are expected to deliver a forceful response when they return to the platforms in Paris in two weeks.
The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series returns on June 18 in Paris for the first stop on a tour of European capitals. Gary Hunt, the British super champion who took French nationality in 2020 and now lives in Paris, calls this opportunity to compete at home “a dream come true”.
Molly Carlson: “I have no words! I’ve never jumped in front of my family before, so to have come here, to have enjoyed it so much and to be so proud of what I’ve achieved in front of them is truly a dream come true.
I had trained indoors and it’s always scary when you go outside for the first time; she wanted to prove to herself that she might do it and jump well outdoors… I am excited to continue to be so motivated, to continue having fun and to see what this season holds for me.”
Aidan Heslop: “A crazy day! I did my two optional jumps as I wanted and I mightn’t have asked for anything better: to be on the top of the podium and for Molly, my girlfriend, to be on the top too.
There are many new jumpers in this sport and the dives are getting more and more difficult. To be able to compete with these talents at the top is a dream for me. I have followed this sport for a long time and now I jump with my idols. It’s difficult, now you have to really train for this sport. Before you might be a good jumper and dare to dive, but now you have to train every day. It is hard work. But, on days like today, it’s worth it.
The plan for Paris is to continue like this. I’m in the best possible position right now and I want to stay here for the rest of the season.”
Classification – 1st Round, Boston, USA
WOMEN
1- Molly Carlson CAN – 377.40 ptos.
2- Rhiannan Iffland AUS – 373.60
3- Meili Carpenter (W) USA- 323.55
4- Eleanor Smart USA – 313.90
5- Jessica Macaulay CAN – 311.10
6- Xantheia Pennisi AUS – 301.60
7- Adriana Jimenez MEX – 293.45
8- Iris Schmidbauer (W) ALE – 280.05
9- Maria Paula Quintero COL – 274.20
10- Antonina Vyshyvanova (W) UCR – 273.30
11- Genevieve Bradley (W) USA – 251.30
12- Maria Smirnova (W) USA – 196.95
MENS
1- Aidan Heslop GBR- 462.50 ptos.
2- Gary Hunt FRA – 424.85
3- Catalin Preda RUM – 412.30
4- Alessandro DeRose ITA – 390.90
5- David Colturi (W) USA – 385.95
6- Nikita Fedotov IAT – 376.00
7- Carlos Gimeno (W) ESP – 368.80
8- Michal Navratil (W) RCH – 364.95
9- Andy Jones (W) USA – 358.00
10- Constantin Popovici RUM – 339.30
11- Oleksiy Prygorov UCR – 309.60
12- Jonathan Paredes MEX – 145.80
Since 2009 the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has served as a platform for increasingly complex and aesthetic jumps, highlighting top athletes as well as promising new talent. The World Series is a pure extreme sport that takes place in extraordinary locations where athletes jump from cliffs, historic bridges or next to waterfalls, always with the aim of acting with environmental responsibility and making the sustainability of our planet visible.
In 2022, 24 of the best divers (12 women and 12 men) will once once more jump, twist and somersault from impressive heights of up to 27 meters and reach speeds in excess of 85 km/h, with no protection other than their concentration, skill and physical control, throughout 8 demanding tests. An exciting quest for perfection and excellence required to qualify for the legendary King Kahekili trophy in the 13th edition of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
