Diving

Domestic and International Diving

2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, originally set for November 19th in Auckland, New Zealand, has been rescheduled for Sunday, 28 January 2024.

written by Hugh

This unfortunate delay results from a significant water quality concern in the Waitematā Harbour. A significant rupture in a vital sewer line has caused the emergence of a substantial sinkhole, leading to the postponement of this remarkable event.

As a result of this, the local iwi has placed a rāhui over the harbour which prohibits water activity until it is deemed safe. Together with the authorities in Auckland, the new date was confirmed for the last Sunday in January to ensure the best and safest conditions for the public and divers.

While these events are beyond anyone’s control, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has made it a priority to give athletes the opportunity to compete for the overall title, permanent spots for season 15 and the remaining qualifying spots for the wildcard positions, so cancelling the event was never an option.

“It’s a fair way to close the season”, sports director Orlando Duque states. “As unusual as this situation is from a sports point of view, the decision for this date was also made considering the athletes’ preparation and rest periods. The postponement to the end of January means they now have a few weeks to recover physically and mentally before they start building up again for the crowning of the 2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series overall champions and then focus on a strong 2024 season.”

The final event of the current calendar 20 weeks after the previous stop will certainly go down in the Red Bull Cliff Diving history books as the longest break between two competitions in the same season.

With two title fights still to be settled, as well as an exciting battle for permanent places on next season’s tour, it has all the ingredients for a thrilling finale.

For the first time since 2017, a brand new men’s World Series champion will be crowned. Romanian diver Constantin Popovici has a 133-point lead over British prodigy Aidan Heslop ahead of the final. However, given wildcard Carlos Gimeno’s spectacular victory in Mostar, placing the Spaniard third in the current world rankings, and Heslop’s ability to master enormous Degree of Difficulty in his dives, it will not be an easy task for Popovici in his last bid of 2023 for the King Kahekili trophy.

In the women’s competition, Canada’s Molly Carlson and Rhiannan Iffland from Australia are the top two divers in contention for the overall win. Carlson has been the only female diver to shake the six-time champion’s dominating consistency in the World Series this season, snatching the win at the last stop in September in Mostar, and breaking Iffland’s dominating streak that spanned unbeatable performances across two seasons. Iffland’s consistent powerful and precise performances could secure her 7th King Kahekili trophy. Carlson has also demonstrated courage, calm, and consistency under pressure, with one last chance remaining.

Red Bull Cliff Diving Auckland will take place across two days in Wynyard Quarter starting on Saturday, 27 January 2024 with the finale on Sunday, 28 January 2024. Spectators can expect two days of entertainment and an unforgettable spectacle of some of the best cliff-diving talent in the world.

Standings (after 5 of 6 stops)
WOMEN
1- Rhiannan Iffland AUS – 990pts.
2- Molly Carlson CAN – 860
3- Xantheia Pennisi AUS – 440
4- Eleanor Smart USA – 437
5- Meili Carpenter USA – 436

MEN
1- Constantin Popovici ROU – 832pts.
2- Aidan Heslop GBR – 699
3- Carlos Gimeno (W) ESP – 573
4- Catalin Preda ROU – 528
5- Gary Hunt FRA – 442

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series
The launch of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in 2009 marked the beginning of a new era for this pure and captivating sport. The world’s best cliff divers have been part of this extraordinary journey taking the sport to new levels of performance and perfection, creativity and courage, adrenaline and adventure.
At every single stop in 2023, 12 women and 12 men will showcase their aesthetic abilities during a two-day event to impress the international judges panel and make the spectators’ jaws drop in not just the brand new locations. Each single dive is up to 27 meters high, 85 kmh fast and hardly three seconds long – three irrevocable facts that the athletes counter with physical and mental mastery in their quest for the glorious King Kahekili Trophy.
From remote places to urban spots, seas, rivers, calm and wild waters, the uniqueness of each dive site adds to the magic of these unparalleled sporting competitions watched by thousands of spectators on site or on screen. Six stops will define the overall champions in the 14th season of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.

Words & Images courtesy of Red Bull Diving

6th November 2023 0 comment

Diving

First ever cliff dives in rugged Guatemalan jungle ahead of 2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series

written by Hugh

Unspoilt diving locations across the Central American country allow current and former champions Rhiannan Iffland and Jonathan Paredes to experience the essence of the sport in preparation for the 2023 season opener in Boston, USA on June 3.

With the 2023 season start in sight, three World Series champions embarked on a 1500-kilometre cliff hunt from Guatemala’s Caribbean coast to the Atlantic Ocean. Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland, Jonathan Paredes from Mexico and the Colombian legend Orlando Duque joined forces to realise the first cliff dives in three pure and rugged locations across the country. The leaps of faith into a canyon, a volcano lake and between waterfalls will soon be swapped for stable platforms when these top athletes return to the sports-crazy city of Boston in less than two weeks for the kick-off of the new Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series season.

From the canyon of Rio Dulce carved out of limestone in the middle of the Guatemalan jungle to one of the world’s most beautiful lakes surrounded by three massive volcanoes, Lake Atitlán lies 1560m above sea level. The most challenging spot took the highly decorated cliff diving trio to the country’s tallest waterfalls at Los Amates in the so called “dry area”.

“This is definitely what cliff diving is about, it’s body and mind. This is you standing on a rock just looking down at the water, nothing artificial around. It’s just nature, we are working with it, everything connects,” Duque, former champion and now sports director of the World Series, raves about the adventure.

Iffland, Paredes and Duque – who have accumulated roughly 50 years of experience in diving from great heights between them – needed to repel in between two waterfalls. The landing area in the water was quite limited, but the water was deep enough, measuring up to a depth of four metres. The powerful water, the noise and the anxiety of a perfect dive made this spot special in many ways.

“We’ve checked everything on the safety list and now it’s just you doing your dives, having fun. It’s not about finding the highest cliff and the most difficult dive. We just connect with nature together as friends and explore the essence of cliff diving. It’s such a cool part of the sport.” 48-year-old Duque with all his experience opened the door for the other two divers with his debut dive from 19 metres.

“A difficult day in the office,” as 2017 World Series champion Paredes, who dealt with a mental block for most of the previous season, describes it; but at the same time an experience to remember for the rest of his life. “We spent more than seven hours there. Seeing Orlando’s face, seeing Rhi’s face, everyone was anxious. So, this moment for sure will be the highlight for me – it all looked very bad and yet in the end we made it.”

A great finish and a superb training opportunity especially for six-time World Series Champion Iffland before the start of the new season.

“The competitions are fast approaching, and I’ve been at home in the pool for the last couple of months training day in and day out and I really think it was very important for me to come here and just do the sport that I love. Do it without pressure but still put myself under pressure in my own way so I feel it’s fun,” explains the 31-year-old Australian.

In total, over six days the cliff hunter trio travelled 1300 km by car and over 200 km by boat through Guatemala to experience the diversity, richness and culture of this small Central American country.

Watch the full movie here.

From wild Guatemala, the athletes will travel to the US east coast for the first of six competitions to define the new champions in the men’s and the women’s competitions. This is where wildcard diver Paredes will begin his hunt for a permanent ticket in 2024 and record -holding champion Iffland will be chased by the likes of Canada’s Molly Carlson and Ellie Smart from the US – all three finished on the podium in Boston and in the overall ranking. Excitement guaranteed!

Continue reading Story

30th May 2023 0 comment

Diving

First ever cliff dives in rugged Guatemalan jungle ahead of 2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series

written by Hugh

A great finish and a superb training opportunity especially for six-time World Series Champion Iffland before the start of the new season.

Watch the full movie here.

Courtesy of Red Bull Content

24th May 2023 0 comment

Diving

Hunt and Iffland crowned cliff diving champions at Sydney showdown

written by Hugh

Gary Hunt scored 10s with his final dive to earn a record-extending 10th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series title at a thrilling season showdown in Sydney, Australia. In the women’s competition, Rhiannan Iffland ensured it was a majestic homecoming, picking up another victory before collecting her sixth King Kahekili Trophy in front of an ecstatic 18,000 spectators.

Hunt, who had been forced to settle for a supporting role in the season’s early competitions as the younger generation of talent excelled, proved that even at the age of 38 he is still the man to beat from the 27m platform. Faced with the powerful challenge of his two title rivals, Aidan Heslop of the UK and Romania’s Catalin Preda, he summoned up every ounce of his vast experience of 92 World Series events to prevail with the season’s final dive.

“I still can’t believe it to be honest. This year starting off watching all the young guns with these massive dives, I kind of felt in the shadow and it showed in the results. I felt like I had to rebuild my confidence and restart. I managed to get there in the end,” said Hunt, who earned a total of 18 tens across the season.

“It sounds like a dream. I couldn’t have hoped for anything better. A really tight season and finishing that on top. So, it’s going to take me a while to realize.”

In just his first season as a permanent diver, Heslop has defied his tender age and exceeded all expectations to send a clear signal to the cliff diving world that he is next in line to the throne. Two victories and three podium places, including another runner-up spot here in Sydney Harbour, ensured an overall second place for the 20-year-old in the World Series standings.

Statement Aidan Heslop (09:30)

Preda may have fallen just short in his quest for a maiden title, but completing the podium at the finale means the 31-year-old repeats his overall third place finish from last season, and the ‘Romanian shark’ will no doubt be back on the hunt for glory again next year.

For Iffland, title number six had already been secured at the previous stop in Italy, but the dream of a fairy-tale victory on home soil meant there was no taking the foot off the gas at the eighth and final competition. With Canada’s Molly Carlson again applying the pressure, the dominant Aussie had to be at her imperious best to make it 30 wins in 37 starts ahead of being crowned once more in front of her friends and family.

“This is my sixth title and it’s really extra special. I’m genuinely speechless. I knew I was coming in and holding the King Kahekili trophy regardless of the result today, so I guess that took the pressure off a bit. But I still had a job to do. I wanted to put on a really good show in front of our home crowd. I managed to pull it off and that’s another tick off the list,” stated the 31-year-old from Newcastle.

“Super proud – this morning I was not knowing how I was going to cope with the nerves, not knowing exactly how I would feel up there. I took both dives down for 9s and that was what it took. It was cool to see Molly put this dive down and I’m really interested to see the scores with this big degree of difficulty. I think next year is going to be interesting.”

Carlson, in just her first year as a permanent diver, secured a sixth second-place finish with her highest total score since a stunning victory at the season opener in Boston. At just 24 years old, the overall runner-up will now focus on taking that extra step in 2023 and pushing Iffland even harder next time.

Statement Molly Carlson (11:46)

Completing the podium in Sydney was the increasingly impressive Eleanor Smart, a result which sealed third place overall for the American – a personal best for the 26-year-old, who made her debut back in 2017.

There was also an emotional farewell from one of the sport’s most loved and respected athletes, as Mexico’s Adriana Jimenez concluded her outstanding cliff diving career in front of the iconic Australian backdrop. The 37-year-old, who finished runner-up to Iffland in the 2018 season, signed off with a fifth place finish in Sydney.

With 762 dives in eight competitions across North America, Europe and Australia, not only were the champions crowned this Saturday afternoon in sunny Sydney, but also the eight female and male divers who secured a permanent spot on the 2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series were confirmed based on this year’s World Ranking.

In the women’s, in the addition to the top three, it’s Australian Xantheia Pennisi and Jessica Macaulay from Canada; USA’s Meili Carpenter, who will be a debutant on the permanent roster, Germany’s Iris Schmidbauer, who will see a return to the permanent line up after a year as a wildcard and also independent athlete, Yana Nestsiarava, will be back.

On the men’s side, Nikita Fedotov (IAT), Constantin Popovici from Romania and Italy’s Alessandro De Rose will be back for a fully-fledged 2023 season. New on the permanent list will be James Lichtenstein from the USA and Colombia’s Miguel Garcia to complete the top eight men.

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series looks back on a successful 13th season and will be back in 2023 with new talent, more difficult dives and a unique calendar.

Results – Stop #8, Sydney, AUS
WOMEN
1- Rhiannan Iffland AUS – 387.75pts.
2- Molly Carlson CAN – 370.70
3- Eleanor Smart USA – 339.10
4- Xantheia Pennisi AUS – 333.30
5- Adriana Jimenez MEX – 311.95
6- Meili Carpenter (W) USA – 300.70
7- Antonina Vyshyvanova (W) UKR – 293.85
8- Jessica Macaulay CAN – 284.20
9- Elisa Cosetti (W) ITA – 273.60
10- Maria Paula Quintero COL – 266.70
11- Iris Schmidbauer (W) GER – 234.85
12- Yana Nestsiarava IAT – 231.65

MEN
1- Gary Hunt FRA – 458.15pts.
2- Aidan Heslop GBR – 434.60
3- Catalin Preda ROU – 429.95
4- Nikita Fedotov IAT– 382.75
5- Jonathan Paredes MEX – 364.35
6- Oleksiy Prygorov UKR – 357.50
7- Carlos Gimeno (W) ESP – 354.60
8- James Lichtenstein (W) USA – 347.65
9- Miguel Garcia (W) COL – 331.00
10- Blake Aldridge (W) GBR – 329.50
11- Chris Bednar (W) AUS – 204.20

Final standings (after 8 of 8 stops)
WOMEN
1- Rhiannan Iffland AUS – 1560pts.
2- Molly Carlson CAN – 1270
3- Eleanor Smart USA – 820
4- Xantheia Pennisi AUS – 798
5- Jessica Macaulay CAN – 794

MEN
1- Gary Hunt FRA – 1240pts.
2- Aidan Heslop GBR – 1116
3- Catalin Preda ROU – 1130
4- Nikita Fedotov IAT – 651
5- Constantin Popovici ROU – 609

Content and Image courtesy of Romina Amato / Red Bull Content Pool

15th October 2022 0 comment

Diving

Spendolini-Sirieix named as finalist of EOC prize for Best European Young Athlete

written by Hugh

Eighteen-year-old Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix has been named as a finalist of the European Olympic Committees’ (EOC) Piotr Nurowski Prize for the Best European Young Athlete.

The Piotr Nurowski Prize, now in its eleventh year, celebrates the achievements of young athletes and aims to inspire the next generation to embrace the values of Olympism.

Spendolini-Sirieix was named as one of the finalists earlier this month and was awarded second place overall after votes were cast by the European NOCs at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia yesterday (Friday 30 September). Her latest success follows an outstanding summer that saw her win two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in the women’s 10m platform and the 10m platform mixed synchro events; another two golds in the women’s 10m platform and the 10m platform synchro at the European Championships; and bronze in the mixed 3m & 10m team event at the World Aquatics Championships.

Her fellow finalists were Israeli gymnast Daria Atmanov, Italian swimmer Filippo Bertoni and Greek rower Sofia Dalidou, with Serbian high jumper Angelina Topić named the overall winner. Each of the finalists receive a training scholarship in addition to their trophy, with Spendolini-Sirieix awarded 8000 euros to support her in the next leg of her journey towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Spendolini-Sirieix said, “I am so honoured to be on the shortlist for the 2022 Piotr Nurowski Prize for the Best European Young Athlete. The blood, sweat and tears that have come from training make all these achievements worth it and I am so lucky to have the opportunity to do the sport I love every day.”

Annamarie Phelps CBE, British Olympic Association (BOA) Vice Chair and member of the EOC Executive Committee, said: “Everyone at Team GB is delighted to see Andrea recognised with the Piotr Nurowski Prize. She made her Olympic debut in Tokyo last year aged just sixteen, and has firmly established her position on the senior international stage: such pan-European recognition especially in the inspirational setting of Ancient Olympia is a fitting testament to her hard work and tenacity and Piotr would have been delighted to see such young talent rewarded. Andrea’s recent successes have been remarkable to watch, and with her sights now set firmly on Paris we will continue to support her every step of the way.”

Image courtesy of Team GB PR

1st October 2022 0 comment

Diving

Precision and high quality – when cliff diving lives up to Swiss clichés

written by Hugh

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series returns to the cliffs of Lake Uri, a new spot for 14 out of the 24 participants, to continue its closest title challenge to date.

Cheese, chocolate and cliff diving – an original location from the inaugural World Series season in 2009, Sisikon was on the schedule in 2010 and 2018 again. Historically, the return to Lake Uri marks a rather significant stop of the 2022 World Series: Switzerland plays a leading role in the history of the sport as Red Bull Cliff Diving as such was born in Brontallo (Ticino) in July 1997 with the very first standalone event 25 years ago.

The cliff diving elite returning to Switzerland are in prime shape to celebrate this special milestone: Last weekend’s competition in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was one for the books as Romania’s Constantin Popovici broke the records for a single dive as well as the competition score. The reigning champion in the women’s, Rhiannan Iffland from Australia successfully faced her ‘fear location’ to secure her 27th World Series win.

The 30-year-old ‘awesome Aussie’ will step onto the 21m platform mounted on the Uri-Stone with a score to settle: out of the 16 countries that Iffland has competed at since she joined the World Series as a wildcard in 2016, Sisikon is the only one where the record winner has not yet succeeded.Her main title challenger, Canada’s Molly Carlson, will certainly do her all to maintain that anomalous statistic.

The 23-year-old has already ended the Australian’s winning streak of 13 victories at the season opener in Boston and announced a new dive for the Swiss leg in her champion chase.However the outcome of the competition, the women will see a new winner as 2018’s dominant diver, Lysanne Richard (CAN), has hung up her competition robe.In the men’s it is Gary Hunt who has a title to defend.

The Frenchman won here in 2010 and 2018 and with all three of his main challengers being new to the Swiss stage, he can play the experience card. 2022’s only two-time winner and European High Diving champion Constantin Popovici knows this location from a spectator’s point of view back in 2018, while current World Series leader Catalin Preda as well as Boston-winner Aidan Heslop will touch uncharted territory.Local hero Matthias Appenzeller, along with 14 divers for who the fresh water of Lake Uri represents new diving grounds, will spice up one of history’s most competitive cliff diving seasons.

Just 382 inhabitants live in the charming village of Sisikon permanently and it will be a flotilla of hundreds of small rubber boats, surfboards and home-made rafts that will multiply this neat number when they come to watch 24 aesthetic athletes plunging into the fresh water at speeds up to 85km/h next weekend.

Wildcards (women, men): Meili Carpenter (USA), Elisa Cosetti (ITA), Aimee Harrison (CAN), Iris Schmidbauer (GER), Ginni Van Katwijk (NED); Matthias Appenzeller (SUI), Matthew Cooper (USA), Miguel Garcia (COL), Artem Silchenko (IAT).Click here for more details on 2022’s permanent athletes and wildcards.

Standings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series (after 5 of 8 stops)

WOMEN
1- Rhiannan Iffland AUS – 960pts.
2- Molly Carlson CAN – 790
3- Eleanor Smart USA – 552
4- Jessica Macaulay CAN – 538
5- Xantheia Pennisi AUS – 466MEN
1- Catalin Preda ROU – 760pts.
2- Gary Hunt FRA – 680
3- Aidan Heslop GBR – 646
4- Constantin Popovici ROU – 609
5- Alessandro De Rose ITA – 493

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series

Since 2009 the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has provided a platform for aesthetic free falls and dives of ever-growing complexity, spotlighting the sport’s finest athletes as well as the most promising breakthrough talents.

A pure extreme sport, the World Series is hosted in exceptional locations where athletes launch from pure rocks, historical bridges or next to waterfalls always with the aim of acting environmentally responsible and increasing the awareness for the sustainability of our planet.

In 2022, 24 of the world’s best cliff divers – 12 women and 12 men – will once again leap, twist and somersault from breathtaking heights of up to 27m and at speeds in excess of 85km/h, with no protection but their concentration, skill and physical control, at eight demanding stops around the world.

A thrilling quest for perfection and excellence to win the glorious King Kahekili Trophy is guaranteed in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series’ 13th season.

4th September 2022 0 comment

Diving

Tom Daley and Matty Lee dive their way to synchro gold for Team GB

written by Hugh

Tom Daley and Matty Lee produced the performance of a lifetime to claim Olympic gold in sensational fashion at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

For Daley it marks the culmination of a remarkable career. A bronze medallist at London 2012 and again in Rio five years ago, he now has a gold to his name after making his Olympic debut aged just 14 at Beijing 2008.

For Lee, the gold comes much earlier in his Olympic career with Tokyo 2020 being his debut Games. The duo showed incredible consistency and finished with a flourish.

“It’s kind of unbelievable. I’ve dreamt, as has Matty, since I started diving 20 years ago for this moment of becoming an Olympic champion,” said Daley.

“To take it to my fourth Olympic Games when I think a lot of people would have not considered it to be my peak Olympic Games, I thought I was going to win an Olympic gold medal in Rio and that turned out the complete opposite by a long shot.

“It was my husband [Dustin Lance Black] who said to me my story wasn’t finished and that my son or child, we didn’t know at the time, needed to be there to watch me win an Olympic gold medal.

“The fact that I can say my son watched me become Olympic champion, albeit on TV and they couldn’t be here, is such a great feeling.

“To be able to do it with your best mate as well and to share that moment. At the back of the podium when you’re by yourself, it’s all internalised, but when you have someone that’s done it with you, you don’t feel bad about saying ‘oh my goodness, we just bloody did amazing!’

“To be able to share that moment with someone has been a wild ride, but I’m very, very happy right now.”

Daley and Lee sat second after three dives, with Chinese pair Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen 15 points clear and seemingly destined for gold.

But a brilliant fourth dive from the Brits, combined with a slight slip-up from their rivals, allowed Daley and Lee to take the lead.

They needed no second invitation and despite holding a lead of just 1.74 points going into the final dive, the British pair nailed it.

A score of 101 on their last dive – a forward 4 ½ somersaults tuck – left the Chinese needing to be perfect.

They got their last dive right, but could not overhaul the Brits, Daley and Lee scoring 471.81 to 470.58 for their challengers – sparking a huge outpouring of emotion for the British pair, as well as the rest of their teammates, cheering on from the stands.

“We knew we got a silver, definitely guaranteed a silver. There’s a little Omega timing board that will either come up with one or two when the Chinese dive and it comes up before the big one so we knew to look at that,” said Lee.

“We were just waiting and hoping and keeping our fingers crossed that we’d see a two. When we did, I lost my crap!”

26th July 2021 0 comment

Diving

How Olympic Medallist Leon Taylor Is Helping People Boost Their Mental and Physical Health During the Pandemic

written by Hugh

Since retiring from competitive diving, Olympic medallist Leon Taylor has become a huge advocate of physical and mental wellness and is now helping people all over the world to improve their health, happiness and performance through the Olympian & Paralympian Online Experiences available on Worldwide Olympic Partner Airbnb’s platform.

BOOK AND JOIN THIS EXPERIENCE WITH LEON

It takes more than a strong body to make it to the Olympic podium; a strong mind is essential too – just ask Leon Taylor. The British diver – who won a silver medal at the Olympic Games Athens 2004 alongside synchronised 10m platform partner Pete Waterfield – attributes much of his success to the mental tools he learnt from working with sports psychologists throughout his career.

“I was very fortunate to work with top practitioners in all areas, particularly sports psychology,” he explains. “I’ve always been fascinated in this notion of mindset and, over the years, I learned fantastic tools, such as visualisation, breathing exercises and self-meditation practices. You need those to perform at the highest level under untold pressure. The edge of a 10-metre diving board with 15,000 people staring at you, and you’ve got 1.5 seconds to get it right – to perform under that pressure, there’s a lot that you need to work on from a mental fitness point of view.”

Having seen the benefits that these mental tools brought to his sporting performance, which included winning medals at world and European championships, Taylor is now eager to share what he has learnt with others, enabling them to reach their own potential too – be it in sport or just life in general.

And in order to reach as wide an audience as possible, he has begun offering a Mindset and Movement Masterclass through the IOC and Airbnb’s Olympian and Paralympian Experiences, combining the mental tools he learnt during his career with a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout that aims to get your body moving and your blood pumping.

11th September 2020 0 comment

Diving

Goodfellow swapping handstands for headsets with diving partner Laugher

written by Hugh

Dan Goodfellow and Olympic diving partner Jack Laugher are keeping in sync while self-isolating in the only way they know how – online gaming.

Wherever they’ve been on diving’s globetrotting circuit in the last 18 months, Goodfellow and Laugher can be found in their hotel room cracking into Call of Duty or World of Warcraft.

It’s headsets rather than handstands for now but Goodfellow feels common interest is bonding the pair as they aim to jointly defend Laugher’s Olympic title in Tokyo next summer.

“Jack and I are chatting every day on the headset at the moment and my brother gets involved too,” said Goodfellow, speaking on behalf of The Official Estate Agent of Team GB Purplebricks.

“We always take our laptops on the road and pretty much a full set-up of mouse, headset, keyboard. We don’t stay in five-star hotels so we just get there and set up as best we can.

Full story & Images – https://www.teamgb.com/news/diver-goodfellow-swapping-handstands-for-headsets-as-lockdown-takes-hold

9th April 2020 0 comment