The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series returns in 2021 from June through until October with four brand-new, exciting locations in France, Norway, Ireland, and Azerbaijan.
Here is all you need to know:
– Entering its 12th season, the groundbreaking Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series restarts with six exciting locations and an equalised athletes’ roster of 18 nationalities.
– With four brand-new locations, the youngest ever permanent diver, and the same standards for the men and women, the World Series progresses into a new decade after the longest break in history.
– Featuring reigning champions Rhiannan Iffland and Gary Hunt, the sport that combines acrobatic free falls from up to 27m and speeds in excess of 85km/h, returns after a record-breaking 2019 season.
– Pure concentration, perfect skill, and physical control are the mandatory components in the athletes’ quest for the glorious King Kahekili Trophy across six tough and testing competitions.
– New to the tour this year are Saint-Raphaël in France, Norway’s capital Oslo, Downpatrick Head in the northwest of Ireland, and the location for the crowning of the champions in Baku, Azerbaijan.
– The World Series enters a new era when the same number of male and female athletes have permanent status (8) and they follow the same competition format from heights of 27m (men) and 21m (women).
– The season’s first stop will take place in a nature preserve on the French Riviera on June 12 at Cap Dramont with record men’s champion Hunt competing under the French flag for the first time.
– The most northern venue arrives next in the Norwegian capital city on August 14 and will set the stage for the 24 athletes on its iceberg-shaped opera house at the head of Oslo fjord.
– Mostar’s historic Stari Most is next on August 28 for the sixth time in a row with the field diving into the chilly Neretva River waters at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
– On September 12, the sheer cliffs of Downpatrick Head in Ireland await the divers for the first time before the private rooftop terrace of Polignano a Mare in Italy returns for the 8th time in 11 years on September 26 as the World Series classic provides crucial penultimate stop title points.
– The 2021 season wraps up with a Baku debut in Azerbaijan as the champions will be crowned during the sport’s indoor debut in the stunning Deniz Mall, which features a 12m diameter acrylic pool.
– Sports director Greg Louganis believes it is all up for grabs as the men chase eight-time champion Hunt with new permanent divers Maria Paula Quintero of Colombia and German Iris Schmidbauer – the first teenager in a permanent spot – challenging four-time champion Iffland of Australia.
2021 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Calendar
June 12 – Saint-Raphaël, France – NEW
August 14 – Oslo, Norway – NEW
August 28 – Mostar, Bosnia, and Herzegovina
September 12 – Downpatrick Head, Ireland – NEW
September 26 – Polignano a Mare, Italy
October 16 – Baku, Azerbaijan
Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series divers 2021
WOMEN: Eleanor Smart, USA; Iris Schmidbauer, GER; Jacqueline Valente, BRA; Jessica Macaulay, CAN; Lysanne Richard, CAN; Maria Paula Quintero, COL; Rhiannan Iffland, AUS; Yana Nestsiarava, BLR.
MEN: Alessandro De Rose, ITA; Andy Jones, USA; Constantin Popovici, ROU; David Colturi, USA; Gary Hunt, FRA; Jonathan Paredes, MEX; Michal Navratil, CZE; Steven LoBue, USA.
PICTURE: Twitter
