Gimeno and Iffland conquer wind and waves to claim Red Bull CliffDiving victory in Italy

Spain’s Carlos Gimeno and Australia’s record champion Rhiannan Iffland overcame two days of tricky conditions to take victory at the second stop of the 2025 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Polignano a Mare, Italy on Sunday afternoon, roared on by 35,000 passionate fans.

Gimeno, whose only previous victory came in Mostar back in 2023, recovered from a slow start in round one to ultimately propel himself 38 points clear of France’s Gary Hunt in second place, with Mexico’s Jonathan Paredes completing the men’s podium in third.

“This is a dream come true, one of the best moments in my life for sure,” said a jubilant Gimeno upon surfacing from the Adriatic. “I’ve been working very hard for this competition, I’m in the best shape of my life and it makes the difference. When you work hard every day and really believe in yourself, you’re always going to reach your dream.”

Throwing caution to the wind, literally, the 35-year-old armstand specialist opted to lift-off from his
bare hands not once, but twice in the face of difficult conditions on his way to a commanding victory.

The first – a majestic Armstand Back 21⁄2 Somersaults Tuck direct from a private balcony in round 2 –
laid the foundations and earned the Spaniard two 9s and a 9.5 from judges, before a mammoth
Armstand Back 41⁄2 Somersaults Tuck in the final round secured 8.5s and a huge win.

Having bagged a bonus championship point for that second-round dive – the best dive of the
weekend – Gimeno joins Paredes in joint second placed in the overall standings, seven points behind
leader Hunt, who at the age of 41 is eyeing a stunning comeback title win following 1-2 finishes at the
opening two events of this condensed four-stop season.

In the women’s competition, Iffland’s unwavering consistency amid the wind and waves brought her a
43rd win in 53 starts from the 21m platform. With Molly Carlson withdrawing from competition due to
an injury in training on Friday, it was another Canadian – Simone Leathead – who embarked on the
task of pushing the reigning champion all the way.

Despite an impressive display from the 22-year-old, including the best dive of the weekend in round two – a Forward 2 Somersaults 1⁄2 Twist Tuck for 8.5s – she ultimately fell eight points short of preventing the Aussie from securing her ninth win in a row in the home of European cliff diving.

“I definitely didn’t wish for these waves, I’d much rather dive in nice calm conditions”, said Iffland after battling to victory. “But we deal with what Mother Nature gives us and today it’s gone my way.

“The pressure is always there and every competition it gets more exhausting to overcome it, but taking a step back and realizing why I started doing this sport in the beginning, to compete in amazing places like this, that helps keep driving me.”

Perhaps the most eye-catching performance of the weekend came from American wildcard Lisa
Faulkner.

Despite a tentative start, the 37-year-old ripped her third-round dive – an Armstand Back 2
1⁄2 Somersaults 2 Twists Pike – into the Adriatic waves to earn 8s from the judges, before maintaining
her grip on third place in the final round to become the oldest female debutante in history to make it
onto the podium.

Italy’s Elisa Cosetti, meanwhile, repaid the thousands of local fans who turned out in this natural sporting amphitheatre with a fourth-place finish, a feat which was repeated by her compatriot and boyfriend Andrea Barnaba in the men’s competition.

In the overall standings, Iffland looks to be set on cruise control now as she closes in on a ninth King
Kahekili Trophy at the halfway stage of this season. The 33-year-old holds a 17-point lead over
Leathead, with American Kaylea Arnett one point further back in third.

With a 10-week hiatus between now and the next stop in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina, the world’s
best cliff divers will enjoy an extended half-time period to recover and recharge their bodies before
renewing rivalries at the iconic Stari Most on September 6.

Re-watch what happened at the season opener in El Nido, Philippines here and find the “More than a
dive” episode from Italy here on Friday, July 4.

Results

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series – Polignano a Mare

• WOMEN
  1- Rhiannan Iffland AUS – 341.60pts.
  2- Simone Leathead CAN – 333.00
  3- Lisa Faulkner (W) USA – 299.85
  4- Elisa Cosetti ITA – 289.95
  5- Nelli Chukanivska UKR – 285.25
  6- Kaylea Arnett USA – 281.05
  7- Ginni van Katwijk NED – 270.40
  8- Morgane Herculano (W) SUI – 269.95
  9- Iris Schmidbauer (W) GER – 269.40
  10- Meili Carpenter USA – 263.85
  11- Madeleine Bayon (W) FRA – 253.65

MEN
1- Carlos Gimeno ESP – 403.45pts.
2- Gary Hunt (W) FRA – 365.30
3- Jonathan Paredes (W) MEX – 365.05
4- Andrea Barnaba ITA – 347.80
5- Constantin Popovici ROU – 341.60
6- Oleksiy Prygorov UKR – 332.45
7- James Lichtenstein USA – 323.60
8- Catalin Preda (W) ROU – 316.70
9- Yolotl Martinez MEX – 299.25
10- Nikita Fedotov (W) ARM – 297.30
11- Sergio Guzman (W) MEX – 133.80
12- Archie Biggin (W) GBR – 109.75

Standings (after 2 of 4 events)
WOMEN
1- Rhiannan Iffland AUS – 41pts.
2- Simone Leathead CAN – 24
3- Kaylea Arnett USA – 23

4- Nelli Chukanivska UKR – 21
5- Meili Carpenter USA – 13
5- Elisa Cosetti ITA – 13
5- Lisa Faulkner (W) USA – 13

MEN
1- Gary Hunt (W) FRA – 36pts.
2- Carlos Gimeno ESP – 29
2- Jonathan Paredes (W) MEX – 29
4- Constantin Popovici ROU – 22
5- Oleksiy Prygorov UKR – 17

- Advertisement -