Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series marks ten years of hosting the event at the iconic Old Bridge in Mostar, while the battle for the King Kahekili trophies enters the deciding second half of the season.
With three different winners in male competition so far, the current champion Rhiannan Iffland (Australia) is after a new victory at one of the most successful locations on the calendar, and the championship, which enters the deciding half of the season, Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series arrives in Mostar, one of the most highly anticipated stations of the season. From July 30 to August 1st, athletes from 13 countries will gather at the iconic Old Bridge as Bosnia and Herzegovina marks 10 years on the World Series calendar.
As the championship is entering its second half, every point counts. Three stations, three different winners in the male competition, where Aidan Heslop (Great Britain), James Lichtenstein (the US), and Constantin Popovici (Romania) each achieved one victory, leaving the race for the King Kahekili trophy completely open. Heslop’s incredible return following last year’s injury put the British on top of the overall rankings, despite performing with a wildcard. He now has the opportunity to become the next male competitor with the wildcard to win the World Series title, following Gary Hunt’s (France) success in 2025.
Following his victory in Copenhagen, Popovici returns to Mostar, where he achieved his last triumph in 2025, aiming to continue his winning streak. A thirty-seven-year-old Romanian is also on the brink of a new great achievement, because he is currently sharing second place on the all-time winners list with 11 World Series wins.
The female competition is returning to one of Rhiannan Iffland’s favorite locations. The competition has been held eight times in Mostar so far and has produced five different winners, but Iffland remains the only female athlete who celebrated more than once at this location. The Australian with four record victories, including last year’s edition, is the most successful diver in the history of Old Bridge dives competition. As the current leader of the World Series continues her quest for the tenth consecutive overall title, a new victory in Bosnia and Herzegovina would further secure her lead ahead of the final two stops of the season.
But her rivals also arrive in Mostar with their own goals and target records within their reach. Canadian Molly Carlson needs just one more podium finish to reach 25 World Series podiums, while last year’s runner-up in Mostar, Australian Xantheia Pennisi, is returning to one of her most successful venues. A new top-three finish would mark a tenth podium in her career.
Regarding the overall standings, Simone Leathead (Canada), Carlson, and the Americans Lisa Faulkner and Kaylea Arnett are currently battling for podium finishes, as the season enters its decisive phase.
Few venues embody the spirit of cliff diving like the Old Bridge. Since it was included on the World Series calendar in 2015, this UNESCO World Heritage Site has become one of the most recognizable locations of this sport, offering a stage for many unforgettable moments, from Jonathan Paredes’s first 2015 World Series victory and Constantin Popovici’s perfect performance with five maximum scores of 10 in 2019, to performances that decided championship titles.
The impressive stone arch connects the banks of the emerald Neretva and is at the heart of Mostar dive traditions. To honor that tradition, the first round of dives will be performed directly from the historic bridge, before the competition for the remaining rounds moves to a purpose-built platform.
What further enriches the atmosphere of the anniversary is the fact that this year’s competition is being held for the first time in the peak of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian summer, between July and August, during the most crowded part of the season in Mostar, when the high temperatures and thousands of visitors will turn the banks of Neretva into a natural amphitheater for one of the most spectacular world sporting events.
Ten years after the World Series got under the sacred Old Bridge for the first time, Mostar became more than just a regular venue. It is a place where a hundred-year-old tradition meets top modern cliff diving and where one of the key weekends in the battle for the King Kahekili trophies of the 2026 season will take place.
Those who are prevented from visiting Mostar during the competition will be able to watch live cliff dives from the Old Bridge on the Red Bull Cliff Diving YouTube Channel (Friday and Saturday). The final day of the competition (Saturday) will be broadcast on the Red Bull TV platform and Hayat TV.
Wildcard competitors in Mostar are (women and men): Stella Forsyth (Australia), Maike Halbisch (Germany), Morgane Herculano (Switzerland), Iris Schmidbauer (Germany), Michael Foisy (Canada), Miguel Garcia (Colombia), Sergio Guzman (Mexico), Aidan Heslop (Great Britain), Yolotl Martinez (Mexico), and Pierrick Schafer (Switzerland).
Overall standings (after 3 of 6 stops):
Women:
1. Rhiannan Iffland (Australia) – 57 points
2. Simone Leathead (Canada) – 37
3. Molly Carlson (Canada) – 33
4. Lisa Faulkner (the US) – 33
5. Kaylea Arnett (the US) – 31
Men:
1. Aidan Heslop (wildcard, Great Britain) – 52 points
2. James Lichtenstein (the US) – 44
3. Constantin Popovici (Romania) – 35
4. Catalin Preda (Romania) – 32
5. Jonathan Paredes (Mexico) – 23
