20 weeks on from the previous stop in Mostar – the longest gap between events in World Series history – Iffland arrived in Auckland holding a 130-point lead over Canada’s Molly Carlson in the overall standings. Showing no signs of rust, the sensational Aussie closed out the season in typically dominant style as she earned another commanding victory from the 21m platform.
A 35th career win delivered with it yet another King Kahekili trophy – her seventh in a row – extending the Aussie’s astonishing dominance over women’s cliff diving for another year.
“I feel pretty emotional right now. It was a hard lead into the competition with the break that we took. To be honest it was like a fight with my mind, thinking is it going to go my way? Am I going to hold the pressure? But I continued training through it all and it definitely paid off, so I’m very, very proud of how today went,” said the 32-year-old champion.
“Growing up, all the hard work that my parents put into my sporting career and to me as a young girl to get to where I am today, it’s super nice, so this one is for them as well. It’s going to be a nice little celebration with them tonight too.”
Iffland’s compatriot, Xantheia Pannisi, confirmed her growing status in the sport with a runner up spot – her fourth podium finish this season – a result which clinched third place for the 25-year-old in the overall standings.
Canada’s Jessica Macaulay, in her final World Series appearance before retiring from the sport, produced a fitting finale to her career by completing the women’s podium in New Zealand,
Carlson meanwhile, whose victory in Mostar had kept her slim title hopes alive and guaranteed at the very least a runner-up spot overall, could only finish fourth as she missed out on a podium place for the first time this season.
In the men’s competition, Popovici finally realised his dream from the 27m platform, ending record champion Gary Hunt’s four-year dominance in the sport. After a slow start into the season finale, the 35-year-old found his form as his rivals faltered, eventually edging past fellow Romanian Catalin Preda to score victory by two points and collect his first King Kahekili trophy.
“It’s a great title to win, it’s something I’m proud of. This stop was one of the most challenging of the season. I came here with an injury and didn’t know what to expect. But my strong mind said ‘you have to fight’ and that’s what I did,” said Popovici, only the fifth diver to be awarded the men’s overall title. “This trophy is appreciation for the hard work I put in every day.”
Spanish wildcard, Carlos Gimeno, followed up his stunning victory in Mostar by rounding out the final podium in Auckland, a result which cemented his overall third place – the first time in men’s World Series history a wildcard has made it onto the overall season podium.
With two victories and two podiums this season, Aidan Heslop had pushed Popovici all the way to wire in an exciting title fight, but the Brit eventually came up just short with a fourth-place finish at the finale. Despite the disappointment, the 21-year-old now has back-to-back runner up spots overall and the future looks very bright for the youngster.
Not only were the title fights settled at the final stop, but the eight men and women who have qualified for a permanent place on the 2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series were confirmed.
In the women’s, joining the top three next season will be Meili Carpenter and Eleanor Smart of the USA, Colombia’s Maria Paula Quintero, Iris Schmidbauer of Germany and Canada’s Simone Leathead, who makes the step up following an impressive debut season.
On the men’s side, wildcard Gimeno will make his first step up to permanent status, joining Popovici, Heslop and Preda, along with Ukraine’s Oleksiy Prygorov, Nikita Fedotov (IAT), American James Lichtenstein and Mexico’s Jonathan Paredes, who returns to full-time duties following a season as wildcard.
Hunt, the 10-time World Series champion, will vacate his spot in 2024 in favour of his Olympic campaign.
After six stops taking in natural and urban locations around the globe, including Asia, North America, Europe and New Zealand, and spanning a record 34 weeks across two calendar years, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will take a break for a few months before returning for a brand-new season this summer.
Results Red Bull Cliff Diving Auckland
WOMEN
1- Rhiannan Iffland AUS – 365.00pts.
2- Xantheia Pennisi AUS – 337.10
3- Jessica Macaulay CAN – 331.00
4- Molly Carlson CAN – 328.70
5- Eleanor Smart USA – 332.80
6- Maria Paula Quintero (W) COL – 320.15
7- Meili Carpenter USA – 265.50
8- Emily Chinnock (W) AUS – 257.90
9- Simone Leathead (W) CAN – 231.80
10- Yana Nestsiarava ITA – 210.50
11- Iris Schmidbauer GER – 158.70
12- Paty Valente (W) BRA – 143.30
MEN
1- Constantin Popovici ROU – 413.90pts.
2- Catalin Preda ROU – 411.65
3- Carlos Gimeno (W) ESP – 404.15
4- Aidan Heslop GBR – 390.00
5- Oleksiy Prygorov UKR – 384.20
6- James Lichtenstein USA – 382.15
7- David Colturi (W) USA – 338.80
8- Miguel Garcia COL – 335.15
9- Nikita Fedotov IAT– 319.20
10- Braden Rumpit (W) NZL – 296.60
11- Gary Hunt FRA – 295.15
12- Jonathan Paredes (W) MEX – 242.60
Final standings (after 6 of 6 stops)
WOMEN
1- Rhiannan Iffland AUS – 1200pts.
2- Molly Carlson CAN – 970
3- Xantheia Pennisi AUS – 600
4- Eleanor Smart USA – 529
5- Meili Carpenter USA – 498
MEN
1- Constantin Popovici ROU – 1032pts.
2- Aidan Heslop GBR – 809
3- Carlos Gimeno (W) ESP – 703
4- Catalin Preda ROU – 698
5- Oleksiy Prygorov UKR – 462
