St. Petersburg, Fla. (WWSB) – Two dozen of the best men’s and women’s competitive high divers across the globe converged along the St. Pete Pier – well in this case, you could say above it.
The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is on its second stop of its world tour, coming off first round competition in Indonesia.
For the first time in the seventeen-year history of the competition, the event entered the Sunshine State.
Among the favorites on the women’s side was Australian diver Rhiannan Iffland, the nine-time defending Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series champion. After Friday’s competition she sits in second place, one point behind American diver Kaylea Arnett.
Arnett spoke on what it meant to represent the United States on home soil.
“So it’s always very exciting to have these home turf competitions,” Arnett said after round three.
“The crowd turns out really well, and it actually gives me quite a bit of nerves. But the nerves actually work in my favor. They kinda make me alert. Help me kinda stay sharp for the competition,” she added.
On the men’s side, French diver Gary Hunt is also known for his prolific skills and success, as an eleven-time champion in this competition.
Heading into Saturday’s final however, it was American James Lichtenstein atop the diving board and leaderboard. He holds more than a 21 point advantage over the next-nearest competitor, Aidan Heslop from England.
“It’s amazing, I was really trying to feed off the home crowd today,” Lichtenstein said after the third round.
“I had a bunch of friends and family here, and was really feeling the energy today. It’s awesome to be on top with the home fans being able to witness it,” he added.
Though the diving technically wasn’t from a cliff, the competition did leave us with a cliffhanger.
There’s a chance there could be two American winners on American soil in the men’s and women’s competition.
The final round takes place at the St. Petersburg Pier on Saturday. The women’s finals are slated to begin at 1:10 p.m. and the men’s finals are scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.
ABC7 will have coverage from St. Petersburg on Saturday, and will bring you highlights in our newscasts and online.
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