The third round of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series kicked off last weekend in the beautiful Azores, Portugal. Big rocks and big waves did not deter the world’s elite, as they entertained the 1,300 spectators (packed in to boats) with their breathtaking free falls from a 27m platform. Reigning champion Gary Hunt took first place, taking away any doubt that cliff diving really is the purest extreme sport on earth!
The circular-shaped Vila Franca do Campo islet offshore from São Miguel in the Azores archipelago made the perfect backdrop for the third stop, which saw Gary Hunt secure his place at the top of the leaderboard. Colombia’s Orlando Duque also had an amazing weekend, taking second place with 23-year-old rookie Jonathan Paredes of Mexico coming in third.
Following his win, Gary told Red Bull:
” It hasn’t sunk in really; I have been trying really hard. It has just been so tough this season. I didn’t really know how the competition had gone, because I couldn’t see; I just tried to stay in my zone and do a good dive and it was enough. So I am ecstatic! I think my last dive was good, I saw some nines up there and it felt like I went through the water nicely. I made a little error in the practice, but I managed to sort that out in the competition when I needed it.”
RESULTS STOP 3, AZORES
1. Gary Hunt | UK | 481.05
2. Orlando Duque | COL | 451.70
3. Jonathan Paredes | MEX | 431.00
4. Artem Silchenko | RUS | 429.40
5. Michal Navratil | CZE | 402.90
6. Andy Jones (wildcard) | USA | 402.55
7. Blake Aldridge | UK | 388.55
8. David Colturi | USA | 376.70
9. Steven LoBue | USA | 295.40
10. Mat Cowen | UK | 267.90
11. Anatoliy Shabotenko | UKR | 251.90
12. Jorge Ferzuli (wildcard) | MEX | 254.00
13. Eber Pava (wildcard) | COL | 245.40
14. Kent De Mond (wildcard) | USA | 136.80
Next Stop Italy – July 14th