Diving often takes a backseat to swimming at big competitions like the NCAA Championships, but there is something so intriguing and impressive about the way divers are able to execute skillful dives with artful and athletic technique.
High diving takes it to the extreme, as athletes vault themselves from heights of 20 meters or more, twirling through the air for a much longer period of time than springboard or platform divers.
The sport got its space on the international stage starting at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona. The first official world champions in high diving were America’s Cesilie Carlton on the women’s side and Colómbia’s Orlando Duque on the men’s side.
Though not yet an Olympic sport, there has been a push to get high diving approved for Olympic competition at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, or perhaps the Games in 2024.
The video above shows spectacular footage of some of the world’s best high divers in their element. Featured are Lysanne Richard (CAN), Helena Merten (AUS), Gary Hunt (GBR) and Blake Aldridge (GBR) during the 2016 FINA High Diving World Cup in Abu Dhabi. Richard on the women’s side and Hunt on the men’s side took home golds from the February Abu Dhabi World Cup stop.
