Red Bull cliff divers confirmed
Red Bull has announced the full list of elite cliff divers set to compete in the third leg of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2014 at the Serpent’s Lair on Inis Mór on 28-29 June.
The world’s elite cliff divers will return to Ireland for the second time to the rugged west coast of Ireland for a dramatic competition over two days at the end of June. Launching from a 27-metre platform, they will dive straight into the legendary blowhole known as ‘Poll na Peist’ – the Serpent’s Lair and fight for the prestigious title of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Champion.
They defy gravity, perform tricks of breathtaking complexity and reach speeds of more than 85kph in less than three seconds – cliff divers not only pursue the purest extreme sport on earth, but it’s a sport that’s also rapidly-evolving. 7 stops, 3 continents and 1 champion – the countdown to the third stop of the 2014 World Series is well and truly on!
Since 2009, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has revolutionised the sport of cliff diving. A total of 35 stops in 19 different countries have brought six different competition winners and three World Series champions in five years and, with the complexity of the 27m dives continuing to increase, there is no telling what the next five will bring!
World Series Athletes for Inis Mór (Confirmed)
Andy Jones (USA) - Rookie 2014
Artem Silchenko (RUS) - Winner 2013
Blake Aldridge (UK) - 8th overall 2013
David Colturi (USA) - 5th overall 2013
Gary Hunt (UK) - 2nd overall 2013
Jonathan Paredes (MEX) - 4th overall 2013
Kris Kolanus (POL) - Rookie 2014
Michal Navratil (CZE) - 6th overall 2013
Orlando Duque (COL) - 3rd overall 2013
Steven LoBue (USA) - 7th overall 2013
World Series Athletes for Inis Mór (Wildcard Divers)
Alain Kohl (LUX)
Cyrille Oumedjkane (FRA)
Jucelino Junior (BRA)
Mat Cowen (UK)
DIVER INFORMATION
Andy Jones: A wildcard entrant in four of the seven stops in the 2013 World Series, Jones finished sixth in both Wales and the Azores and his dedication to the sport and rapidly-improving performances did not go unnoticed by the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series committee who nominated the 29-year-old for a permanent place on the tour in 2014.
Artem Silchenko: Artem Silchenko, Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series champion 2013!? Successive wins in La Rochelle and Copenhagen (the latter achieved with a personal best of 522.40 points – the highest score ever for a four-round World Series event) set the 30-year-old up very nicely for the year ahead. In a 'winner-takes-all' battle against the reigning champion, Gary Hunt, in a unique eight-dive in Thailand, the Russian triumphed, nailing the last dive of 2013 – his back armstand – for 10s from the judges to put a most emphatic seal on the year as he rose out of the water, fists pumping!
Blake Aldridge: After requalifying for 2013 Blake Aldridge got last year off to a great start, securing his first podium in a World Series competition with a third-placed finish at the season kick-off in La Rochelle, France. He finished his second year in the pinnacle of cliff diving competitions on the eighth overall place and took the last spot to automatically qualify for 2014.
David Colturi: Having first competed as a wildcard in Boston in 2011, and showing a glimpse of his talent, David achieved his first World Series podium a year later at his home event and followed it up with a second third-placed finish in Oman to round off a very impressive first full season in 2012. David made good on his early promise with a first World Series win in Malcesine, in Italy, in July 2013, and though an ankle injury sustained afterwards affected his performances he was still able to secure a fifth-placed finish overall. One to watch in 2014, a tilt at the title is certainly not beyond the American
Gary Hunt: The World Series winner for three successive years in 2010, 2011 and 2012, Englishman Gary Hunt is a man at the very top of his game. There has been virtually no
stopping the 30-year-old ever since he finished runner-up in the first World Series in 2009. Six podiums out of six in 2010 catapulted Hunt ahead of the previous champion, Orlando Duque, at the final showdown in the sport's birthplace, Hawaii. The Paris-resident then became the first athlete to win four successive competitions in 2011 en route to a second title clinched even before the final stop in the Ukraine and there was no let-up in 2012 either as the ‘brilliant Brit’ made it a hat-trick of titles by winning the final stop in Oman after an incredibly tight battle with the returning veteran Duque.
Jonathan Paredes: Coming back to Australia for the qualification competition, where he lost it all in 2012, was not the easiest task. However, having grown in experience and confidence, the youngest of the qualifiers achieved the competition's highest score and did not even need the highest Degree of Difficulty to do so. Judges, diving experts and fellow competitors all agreed that Jonathan Paredes is one of the most talented high divers to have emerged in recent years and the youngest athlete in the 2014 permanent divers’ line-up proved them right: He took his first World Series podium in this third competition only, placing third in the Portugal-leg. The rookie of the year 2013 finished 4th overall – watch out for this young man!
Kris Kolanus: 27-year-old Pole Kris Kolanus was nominated for a place at all seven stops of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2014 after reaching the final in two of his four appearances as a wildcard in 2013. Together with Andy Jones, he can add his name to the permanent divers’ line-up for the Series’ sixth season. Debuting at the World Series in 2011, Poland’s biggest diving talent overcame his initial nerves and in 2013 proved he is capable of mixing it with the world's best cliff divers.
Michal Navratil: From the closest challenger to champion Gary Hunt and Artem Silchenko and four podiums in season three, to a third place in 2012's kick-off competition in France, Michal Navratil narrowly missed out on automatic qualification for 2013 by finishing sixth overall in the rapidly-evolving sport. The 29-year-old was forced into qualifying, showing a strong performance by leading the board until the final round. After eight dives, just 1.05 points decided first place in favour of rising star Jonathan Paredes, from Mexico, but the Czech was nevertheless delighted to have qualified for his fifth season in the World Series. Famous for his extrovert character, 'Supratil' – so called because of the Superman-style dives he performed following competitions in 2009 – once again impressed in 2013, finishing sixth overall.
Orlando Duque: With 10 world championship titles and two Guinness world records to his name, Colombian cliff diver Orlando Duque has proved his tremendous ability time and again from 27 metres, reaching the very pinnacle of his sport over the last 15 years. In 2013, in Barcelona, the 39-year-old became the winner of the first-ever FINA High Diving World Championship. The veteran knows well the ups and downs of the sport. After a season-ending injury in 2011, Orlando, who now resides in Honolulu in Hawaii, was determined to come back better than ever and so he did in 2012, coming agonisingly close to beating champion Gary Hunt to the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series title in Oman. Orlando's focus is now on learning new dives in a bid to increase his Degree of Difficulty and stay at the top of a sport that is rapidly-evolving.
Steven Lobue: With the Fort Lauderdale based personal trainer establishing himself as one of the most consistent performers in the World Series, Steven's main objective last season was to increase his Degree of Difficulty, debuting a new dive in 2013 with a total of five somersaults. Adopting the theory that sometimes you must take one step back to take two steps forward, Steven spent much of the year perfecting the new dive which executed well could put him in title contention. Second-placed finishes in Italy and Thailand suggest he's not too far away..
The last remaining tickets are available at www.entertainment.ie/redbull
CALENDAR & LOCATIONS
May 10 | Havana | CUBA
June 07 | Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas | USA
June 29 | Inis Mór | IRELAND
July 11 | Kragerø | NORWAY
July 26 | Azores, S. Miguel | PORTUGAL
September 20| Bilbao | SPAIN
October 19 | Niterói, Rio de Janeiro | BRAZIL