Photo by Peter H. Bick
What: 1st FINA High Diving World Cup
Who: Thirty-four divers from 16 countries (25 men and 9 women)
When: 8-10 August 2014 in Kazan, Russia
Where: Kazanka River Venue, Kazan, Russia. Temporary facility located on the left bank of the Kazanka River near Kazan’s Kremlin.
Competition:
Men will complete in three dives (one required, one intermediate and one optional) on Friday, August 8th. The best 18 athletes will compete during Dive 4 (required dive) on Sunday, August 10th. Twelve of the best divers will qualify thereafter and compete for the podium during the fifth and final dive (optional dive) also on Sunday August 10th. Women will complete in three dives (one required and two optional) on Saturday, August 9th.
Prize Money: USD $10’000 (1st), USD $9’000 (2nd), USD 8’000 (3rd). Athletes ranked up to the 12th place will also receive prize money.
About the World Cup: First ever FINA High Diving World Cup was created after the remarkable introduction of this discipline to the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona. The High Diving World Cup will be an annual event bringing together the world’s best athletes of this growing sport.
Fun Facts
The top five divers of the Red Bull Cliff Diving Series, both men and women, will all be present at the FINA High Diving World Cup (listed 1st to 5th).
MEN: Gary Hunt (GBR), Steve LoBue (USA), Orlando Duque (COL), Jonathan Paredes (MEX), Artem Silchenko (RUS)
WOMEN: Rachelle Simpson (USA), Anna Bader (GER), Tara Hyer-Tira (USA), Ginger Huber (USA) and Adriana Jimenez-Trejo (MEX)
- Men dive from a 27 metre platform while women dive from a 20 metre platform.
- A dive from a 27 metre platform takes 3 – 3.5 seconds
- Before hitting the water, divers reach a speed of 90km/h
- For every dive, scuba divers remain vigilant in the water should an athlete be in need of assistance
- In High Diving, entry in the water is always done feet-first
- Dives are judged on a degree of difficulty (DD) scale ranging from 2.6 to 7. The DD is defined by the position of the athlete before and during the dive, the amount of somersaults and twists.
- DD 7 is the toughest dive and has never been done before. It requires the athlete to complete 5 reverse somersaults in the piked position.