Gary Hunt Red Bull Cliff Diving World Champ

YUCATAN MX – SPORTS – Gary Hunt won in Mexico and was crowned the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Champion for 2014. Gary Hunt shared, “The plan worked perfectly! I really wanted to win here after twice winning the World Series and not being on top of the podium at the final event. I wanted it so much and on the platform I really felt the nerves, and so I’m over the moon that I got it. Losing the title last year was a big motivation for me. I wouldn’t be the diver that I am today if I had not suffered that disappointment”.

The 30-year-old came to the final stop not only to receive the trophy for his fourth World Series title, but also to take his fourth victory of 2014. With exactly 500 points, he beats the 2013 World Series winner Artem Silchenko, in second, and the USA’s David Colturi, in third place. The seventh stop, hosted on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula this Saturday, also determined the top five athletes from 27m to prequalify for next season. Athletes from England, Russia, the USA and Colombia have secured spots in the 2015 World Series, the others must compete in qualification in February. After an action-packed year with stops all over Europe, the Caribbean and North America, four competition winners, and a new face on top of the podium, the sixth season celebrated a showdown in style in the majestic Ik Kil cenote.

After Friday’s women’s finals, on Saturday it was the turn of the men as 14 cliff divers dove into the crystal-clear waters of the sinkhole in the Mexican jungle during a total of four rounds of competition. Gary Hunt’s superb execution of his famed Triple Quad dive, with a Degree of Difficulty of 6.2, in the final saw the judges produce 9s and the Englishman secure a grand total of 500.00 points. With two 10s from the judges for the intimidating flying inward dive, Russia’s Artem Silchenko (451.60pts) set the course for another podium finish after his victory at the previous World Series stop in Spain. David Colturi (451.30pts) performed strongly in the second part of the season to finish the year with a third place.

The top-three finish saw Colturi climb from seventh to fifth (610pts) in the final standings and with it guarantee automatic qualification for 2015. Four wins out of seven make Gary Hunt (1,110pts) a very worthy four-time champion. The 2013 winner, Russia’s Artem Silchenko, finished runner-up not only in Mexico but also the overall standings (860pts). Completing the top five for 2014 are the winner from Portugal, Steven LoBue (USA, 680pts), in third place and 10-time world champion Orlando Duque on fourth (660pts). The fight for one of the coveted top-five places was tight until the very last of 350 competition dives in 2014, and a thrilling qualification competition is in prospect for the remaining five spots in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2015.

For the coronation of the 2014 male and female champions, the World Series returned to the root-covered cenote close to the archaeological site of Chichen Itza in Mexico, which proved to be the appropriate setting for Rachelle Simpson to be crowned the first-ever Women’s World Series Champion and the ‘brilliant Brit’ to put his seal on the Series. With a steady increase in difficulty and diving complexity and new talent coming to the fore, the defence of their titles starts in April 2015.

Artem Silchenko (RUS) diver said, “This year I’ve finished second overall and that’s a fantastic result for me because I’ve had a shoulder injury. At one point I wasn’t even thinking about being in the top three, but having to go to the qualification competition for next season! For me, it’s been one of the hardest years of my career”.

David Colturi (USA), stated, “I’m on top of the world right now. I came here knowing that I had a chance but that I had to dive very well and it all came together. I might have missed my last dive a little bit, but it was enough to get third place on the podium and fifth place overall so I’m ecstatic”.

Results Stop 7, Yucatán

1. Gary Hunt | UK | 500.00pts

2. Artem Silchenko | RUS | 451.60

3. David Colturi | USA | 451.30

4. Michal Navratil | CZE | 442.25

5. Andy Jones | USA | 435.00

6. Orlando Duque | COL | 426.10

7. Jucelino Junior (wildcard) | BRA | 408.05

8. Jonathan Paredes | MEX | 401.65

9. Kris Kolanus | POL | 298.10

10. Christian Arayon (wildcard) | COL | 276.14

11. Steven LoBue | USA | 272.05

12. Blake Aldridge | UK | 259.20

13. Jose Wilker (wildcard) | BRA | 233.15

14. Keda Moura (wildcard) | BRA | 194.60

FINAL OVERALL STANDING

1. Gary Hunt | UK | 1110pts

2. Artem Silchenko | RUS | 840

3. Steven LoBue | USA | 680

4. Orlando Duque | COL | 660

5. David Colturi | USA | 610

6. Jonathan Paredes | MEX | 590

7. Michal Navratil | CZE | 570

8. Blake Aldridge | UK | 560

9. Andy Jones | USA | 350

10. Kris Kolanus | POL | 349

11. Jucelino Junior (wildcard) | BRA | 108

12. Alain Kohl (wildcard) | LUX | 90

13. Anatoliy Shabotenko (wildcard) | UKR | 80

13. Miguel Garcia Celis (wildcard) | COL | 80

15. Mat Cowen (wildcard) | UK | 60

16. Christian Arayon (wildcard) | COL | 30

17. Kent De Mond (wildcard) | USA | 29

18. Cyrille Oumedjkane (wildcard) | FRA | 19

19. Keda Moura (wildcard) | BRA | 17

20. Kyle Mitrione (wildcard) | USA | 10

21. Andreas Hulliger (wildcard) | SUI | 9

21. Jose Wilker (wildcard) | BRA | 9

23. Sasha Kutsenko (wildcard) | UKR | 8

23. Jorge Ferzuli (wildcard) | MEX | 8

23. Kai Kirbs (wildcard) | GER | 8

Red Bull Cliff DIving World Series 2014

It’s pure, it’s fast and it takes your breath away. Cliff divers leap aesthetically from almost three times the Olympic height and hit the water at speeds of 85kph, protected only by their concentration, skill and physical control. Since 2009, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has featured the biggest talents, the most promising newcomers, and since 2013 has also provided a platform for women. Seven tough competitions for the men, three challenges for the women – in its sixth season this jaw-dropping sport will hit new as well as proven ground in the Caribbean, North and Latin America and Europe between May and October to determine a new champion for both men and women.

Maurice Lacroix is the official watch partner of the 2014 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.