Today, cliff diving competitions are held all over the world, where both professionals and amateurs can participate. You only need to pay a registration fee of 100 crowns and you can compete. The basic criterion is courage.
“We have the youngest participant in the competition at the age of eight,” Filip Šutry, a legislative representative and chairman of the cliff diving competition, told Novinkám. “The parameters for the participants are easy, but it requires a lot of courage,” he explained.
The oldest cliff diver in the Czech Republic is under 60, proving that adrenaline knows no bounds. There are almost no limits, but according to Filip Šutra, jumping is not recommended for people with cardiovascular disease.
Championship for professionals only
In 2000, the Czech Republic hosted the first world championship in cliff jumping. At that competition, the participants must have trained and demonstrated something. Of the Czech players, only Michal Navrátil managed to become the best jumper after seven years of training.
“Training in areas designated for jumpers is difficult for amateurs. There are only a few such places now and often they don’t let amateurs in,” Filip Šutry said. “However, the competition is open to amateurs.”
Photo: Profimedia.cz
Cliff Diving in Austria
The champion from Colombia will also come
Jumping from a height of 16 meters in a flooded quarry in Hříměždice. This year’s tenth edition, which will be held from 31.7. to 1 August, should also feature nine-time world champion Orlando Duque from Colombia, who will also lead several expert seminars on cliff diving. Among the Czech jumpers, Michal Navrátil, bronze medalist at the European Championships in Ponte Brolla in Switzerland, has promised to participate. Even amateurs have access to the race.
Photo: Profimedia.cz
Orlando Dugan on the jump
The event will also feature attractions such as swings at a height of five meters. As usual, there will also be an exhibition of splashdiving, which, unlike the classic competitive jump, aims to splash as much water as possible. The man from Germany will have to perform a “pancake and a fart” that will leave his audience gasping.
World record
Best jumps made (7x 10 points)
In 2000 at the WHDF Cliff Diving World Championships on Kaunolu Island, Hawaii, Colombian diver Orlando Duque performed a double somersault with four screws from a height of 24.4m (80ft). The jump was awarded the highest score of 10 points by all seven judges.
Jump from the highest height into shallow water (from 10.7 m to 30 cm)
Perhaps the biggest and craziest jump was made by Darren Taylor, known as Professor Splash. He entered the Guinness Book of Records when he plunged from a height of 10.7 meters (35 feet) into a 30-centimeter (12-inch) deep inflatable children’s pool.
Even familiar places can betray you
Despite being an adrenaline-pumping sport, professional cliff diving usually does not cause serious injuries. However, experts warn against amateur diving, which often results in serious spinal injuries. “Even a famous place can betray a jumper,” says Tomáš Jechort, spokesman for the Highjump association. He says that jumpers can be punished, for example by a drop in the water level, which turns a safe landing pad into a death trap.
In Bohemia, the quarry “cliffs” near Hříměždice offer the best diving experience. Popular cliff diving resorts in the world include the Vallemaggia valley in Switzerland or the sea cliffs in Acapulco, Mexico. Competitions are also held at historical locations, such as the bridge in Bosnia’s Mostar or the French fortress of La Rochelle.
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