PALAWAN, Philippines – History repeated itself for Rhiannan Iffland and Gary Hunt as the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series returned to El Nido.
Hunt and Iffland claimed top honors to open the 2025 season at end of four rounds of thrilling action in this majestic town known for its turquoise waters and towering limestone cliffs on Sunday, April 13.
The results were the same as 2019, when the two also reigned supreme as Red Bull brought the Cliff Diving World Series to El Nido for the first time.
“I had a mission to do this time. I needed to impress the judges and fight my way back into the season,” said the 40-year-old Hunt.
Hunt is widely considered the greatest cliff diver of all time, having ruled the men’s division of the World Series for a record 10 times.
But he currently competes as a wild card after losing his permanent spot as he missed a huge chunk of the 2024 season to prepare for the Paris Olympics, where he represented France in the men’s 10m synchronized platform.
Hunt, though, showed he should not be written off just yet.
Running fourth after the first two rounds, Hunt saved the best for last as he dominated the 12-man field in the final two rounds at the Big Lagoon and totaled 422.10 points, over 40 points ahead of runner-up Jonathan Paredes. .
Hunt posted 132.30 and 132.60 points in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
“I always try and enjoy what I’m doing. I enjoy the pressure. I like to put the pressure on,” said Hunt. “The story was there, making a comeback from taking a year off, I could not have asked for a better place to do it.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s Iffland got her bid for a ninth straight women’s crown to a scintillating start as she sustained her brilliance through all four rounds and amassed 352.95 points.
Iffland scored 105.60 and 101.75 points in the last two rounds to turn the tide on USA’s Kaylea Arnett, who held a slim slid over the reigning champion after the opening round but settled for second with 320.65 points.
“Obviously, I’m over the moon with another victory. It is never good to be too confident in a sport like this because diving is so inconsistent and you can never rule out your competitors,” said Iffland.
“You’ve got to be on your game every single day that you turn up to compete. Yeah, I’m happy,” she added. “I think today and yesterday and the last three days, the experience really showed up.”
Mexico’s Paredes, a wild card like Hunt, garnered 381.90 points, while Romania’s Constantin Popovici — the 2023 men’s world champion — placed third with 381.15 points.
Ukraine’s Nelli Chukanivska completed the podium in the women’s category with 313.80 points.
Filipina-Australian bet Xantheia Pennisi, who finished third to last in 2019, tallied 261.40 points to rank eighth out of 12 female participants this time.
The wins are crucial for Hunt and Iffland in their quest for an additional world title as the 2025 season consists of just four stops, with the next leg to be staged in Polignano a Mare, Italy, in June. – Rappler.com