*** Bahrain Welcomes the World's Best in High Diving World Cup 2024 | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Bahrain Welcomes the World's Best in High Diving World Cup 2024

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Email: hussianm@newsofbahrain.com

The Perfect Backdrop for High-Diving Drama

Bahrain is ready to welcome the best of high diving as the 2024 World Aquatics High Diving World Cup kicks off this weekend. This marks the start of an exciting two-stop World Cup series, culminating in a final push towards the World Aquatics Championships Singapore 2025.

High divers will descend from heights of 20m for the women and 27m for the men.

Top Contenders to Watch

Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland, a four-time world champion, enters the competition with dominance, but Canada’s Molly Carlson, who famously defeated Iffland in the 2023 World Cup, is looking to repeat her success in Bahrain. Iffland recently defended her title at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha and aims to kick off the World Cup season with another victory. The 33-year-old, a former cruise ship entertainer, has dominated the sport since her debut in 2017, securing four consecutive world titles.

Canada’s Molly Carlson, a rising star and former Youth Olympic Games (Nanjing 2014) participant, is one of Iffland’s strongest rivals. Despite only entering high diving competitions in 2021, Carlson impressed by winning the 2023 World Aquatics High Diving World Cup, edging out Iffland by less than 10 points. Both women will push the limits, with the stakes high for the season's opening competition.

On the men’s side, Great Britain’s Aidan Heslop, who recently ended a two-season dry spell with a world championship win, will face tough competition from Romania’s Catalin Preda and Constantin Popovici. Heslop's primary rival is Preda, who secured second place at the World Championships in Doha and has been a consistent podium contender over the last two seasons, including at the World Aquatics Championships Fukuoka 2023. Alongside Preda, Popovici, the gold medalist from Fukuoka 2023, will also be vying for top honors from the 27m platform. The Romanian compatriots will be determined to maintain their strong performances and ensure the Romanian flag flies high in Bahrain.

Competing Athletes

 Men:

  1. Zach Picton (Australia)
  2. Michael Foisy (Canada)
  3. Francois Imbeau-Dulac (Canada)
  4. Miguel Garcia Celis (Colombia)
  5. Carlos Gimeno (Spain)
  6. Davide Baraldi (Italy)
  7. Andrea Barnabà (Italy)
  8. Antonio Corzo Diaz (Mexico)
  9. Sergio Guzman (Mexico)
  10. Yolotl Otniel Martinez Cabral (Mexico)
  11. Jonathan Paredes (Mexico)
  12. Braden Rumpit (New Zealand)
  13. Constantin Popovici (Romania)
  14. Catalin-Petru Preda (Romania)
  15. Jean-David Duval (Switzerland)
  16. Pierrick Schafer (Switzerland)
  17. Oleksiy Pryhorov (Ukraine)
  18. David Colturi (USA)
  19. Matt Cooper (USA)
  20. Scott Lazeroff (USA)
  21. James Lichtenstein (USA)

Women:

  1. Rhiannan Iffland (Australia)
  2. Xantheia Pennisi (Australia)
  3. Molly Carlson (Canada)
  4. Simone Leathead (Canada)
  5. Maria Paula Quintero (Colombia)
  6. Annika Bornebusch (Denmark)
  7. Madeleine Bayon (France)
  8. Anna Bader (Germany)
  9. Elisa Cosetti (Italy)
  10. Alejandra Sofia Aguilar Tovar (Mexico)
  11. Ginni Van Katwijk (Netherlands)
  12. Morgane Hercolano (Switzerland)
  13. Kaylea Arnett (USA)
  14. Meili Carpenter (USA)
  15. Maya Kelly (USA)
  16. Ellie Smart (USA)

High Diving World Cup Bahrain 2024 Schedule

Saturday, 21 September

●      09:00 - Women's 20m: Round 1 & 2

●      11:30 - Men's 27m: Round 1 & 2

Sunday, 22 September

●      09:00 - Women's 20m: Round 3

●      09:35 - Women's 20m: Round 4

●      11:30 - Men's 27m: Round 3

●      12:15 - Men's 27m: Round 4

The Kingdom has become a premier venue for international sports, and the High Diving World Cup is no exception. The iconic skyline of Manama will serve as the backdrop for a display of athleticism, as competitors take the plunge from platforms twice the height of the Olympic 10-meter board.