Plunging into the Seine River, just opposite the iconic Eiffel Tower in the French capital, Popovici showcased his brilliance once more, leaving his competitors trailing by an impressive 59-point margin. Oleksiy Prygorov of Ukraine secured second place, marking his inaugural appearance on the World Series podium, while Nikita Fedotov (IAT) clinched the third spot.
In a jubilant tone, Popovici expressed, « Winning today holds a special significance for me. I’m on a mission, and I’m determined to maintain this momentum. My relentless training has paid off, and I couldn’t be happier here in Paris. » The 34-year-old athlete had previously dominated the season opener in Boston, securing victory with a similarly commanding lead.
As seasoned divers like Gary Hunt (FRA), Aidan Heslop (GBR), and Catalin Preda (ROU) struggled to make an impact this year, no clear challenger to Popovici has emerged, solidifying his stronghold with a substantial 158-point lead in the World Series standings.
For Prygorov, an Olympic medalist, years of consistent performances finally culminated in his first-ever podium finish in cliff diving. The 35-year-old Ukrainian, who had fluctuated between wildcard and permanent status since his debut in 2017, was overjoyed with his runner-up position in Paris. He exclaimed, « It’s an unbelievable feeling. After five years of chasing this podium, always coming so close, I’ve finally achieved it here in Paris. It’s truly an incredible feeling. »
A new feature of this season was the introduction of earning 10 extra World Series points for the highest-scoring dive of the competition. David Colturi, an American wildcard, accomplished this feat by impressing the judges with his river-slicing Reverse 2 Somersaults 4 Twists Free dive, earning three 9.5s. Colturi maintained his consistent performance with a second consecutive 7th place finish.
In the women’s competition, Iffland extended her winning streak to nine events spanning two seasons. Once again, she held off her closest rival, Canada’s Molly Carlson, securing her 32nd career victory. Germany’s Iris Schmidbauer delivered a career-best performance to secure her first-ever podium placement.
A nail-biting competition between the top two women came down to the final dive from the 21m platform. Iffland, a six-time champion, knew she needed to maintain a 0.5-point lead over her rival according to the judges’ scorecards. Carlson, however, could only manage 7.5s for her final dive, while Iffland impressed the panel, earning 9s and securing an 11-point victory.
Iffland shared her satisfaction, saying, « This is exactly how I wanted to start the season. Begin with strength and have a little room for maneuver at the end. Today, I knew I had to perform exceptionally well because of the low degree of difficulty. I had to really fight for it. While up there, I was absorbing the moment and trying to stay focused, all while savoring the experience. »
Although Carlson narrowly missed the top spot once again, she earned 10 World Series points for the weekend’s highest-scoring dive, a Reverse 2 Somersaults Tuck in the first round. She now trails Iffland by 80 points in the overall standings.
Meanwhile, Schmidbauer, who secured third place, was overwhelmed with emotion after delivering the day’s best dive. She shared, « It’s been a dream of mine for so long. I’ve worked tirelessly towards it, and I’ve missed the podium a couple of times, once by just 0.1 point. Finally achieving it in front of the Eiffel Tower feels like a dream come true. »
Against the picturesque backdrop of Paris, the elite cliff divers will soon journey to Polignano a Mare, Italy, for a World Series classic in two weeks’ time. Known as the ‘home of European cliff diving,’ this beautiful Italian town will host the athletes for the record 10th time, marking a pivotal moment in the season.
