The battle for victory at the milestone tenth Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series stop in Mostar intensified on Friday, as Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland and Spain’s Carlos Gimeno climbed to the top of the standings ahead of Saturday’s grand finale beneath the iconic Old Bridge.
After Thursday’s opening round, in which athletes honored Mostar’s centuries-old diving tradition by leaping directly from the stone arch of the Old Bridge, Friday’s action shifted to the specially constructed competition platform. In front of thousands of enthusiastic spectators, the world’s best cliff divers performed spectacular dives from heights of 27 meters for the men and 21 meters for the women into the emerald waters of the Neretva River.
The women’s competition saw reigning champion Rhiannan Iffland produce two outstanding performances to move into first place with 263.30 points, narrowly ahead of Canada’s Molly Carlson, who sits second on 261.70 points. Australia’s Xantheia Pennisi, who shared the overnight lead with Carlson after Thursday’s opening round, is currently third with 250.80 points.
A victory in Saturday’s final would secure Iffland an extraordinary tenth Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series title.
“I love coming back here, the energy is always great. It’s wonderful to meet the local divers again. It feels like I’m coming home. I’m excited about tomorrow’s jumps and I hope for a large crowd,” said a delighted Iffland.
The men’s competition also witnessed a change at the top. Thursday’s leader Gary Hunt was overtaken by Spain’s Carlos Gimeno, whose brilliant dives earned him a total of 284.45 points heading into the decisive final round.
Hunt is tied for second place with James Lichtenstein, both on 281.10 points, while last year’s Mostar winner Constantin Popovici remains in contention in fourth with 275.70 points.
“Mostar is my favorite place in the whole competition. Every time I come here, I feel at home. I’m connected to the people and the bridge—everything here is positive. When you feel that, you simply dive well. I trained hard and it paid off. It feels great, but nothing is over yet. There’s no reason to celebrate. I’ll keep training today and tomorrow and then give my best in the competition,” Gimeno said.
The final day of competition takes place on Saturday, with gates opening to spectators at 12:00, while the competition begins at 15:30. Fans unable to attend can watch the action live via the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series YouTube channel and Red Bull TV, with the broadcast starting at 16:30.
Visitors traveling from Sarajevo can take a special train departing the city’s railway station at 11:00 and returning at 19:00. A return ticket costs 30 KM and can be purchased through the ENTRIO platform.
The sporting spectacle will also be accompanied by a vibrant entertainment programme, with live music scheduled on Friday and Saturday at four venues around the Old Bridge, including Bijeli Bar, Marshall, Lazy Bar Stage and Alibaba. The popular Bosnian band Divanhana will perform on Saturday evening at the Bijeli Bar stage.
Standings After Day Two
Women
- Rhiannan Iffland – 263.30
- Molly Carlson – 261.70
- Xantheia Pennisi – 250.80
- Kaylea Arnett – 239.45
- Iris Schmidbauer (W) – 222.50
- Stella Forsyth (W) – 218.40
- Nelli Chukanivska – 217.95
- Ginni Van Katwijk – 217.00
- Simone Leathead – 211.90
- Morgane Herculano (W) – 198.15
- Maike Halbisch (W) – 197.05
- Lisa Faulkner – 188.80
Men
- Carlos Gimeno – 284.45
- Gary Hunt – 281.10
- James Lichtenstein – 281.10
- Constantin Popovici – 275.70
- Yolotl Martinez – 274.70
- Miguel Garcia – 272.60
- Aidan Heslop – 267.30
- Oleksiy Prygorov – 265.35
- Sergio Guzman – 252.20
- Pierrick Schafer – 238.75
- Michael Foisy – 168.30
- Jucelino Junior – 157.80
