High diving makes its debut in Manama, Bahrain, this weekend. Here’s what to expect from the first World Cup event (of two) this fall.
Not only has the 2024 World Aquatics High Diving World Cup opener lured the best high divers from 16 nations to compete in the Middle East this weekend, it will also make history as the first World Aquatics event ever to be held in the tiny Kingdom of Bahrain. The archipelago east of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf means “two seas” in Arabic, so it’s fitting that its capital, Manama, now has a 20m women’s platform and a men’s 27m tower ready to go in its north harbour.
This weekend, each diver will make four dives – two on Saturday, and two on Sunday. Each day, the women will perform their two dives first, followed by the men’s rounds.
The big names on the women’s side include four-time world champion Rhiannan Iffland, 32, of Australia and Canada’s Molly Carlson, 25, the two-time world championship silver medalist. Also expect a strong performance by American Kaylea Arnett, 31, who placed fourth at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, in February. Another rising star is Australia’s 24-year-old Xantheia Pennisi who placed sixth at the 2019 and 2023 world championships and fifth in 2024.
The men’s field could feature another showdown between the last two world champions – Aidan Heslop, the 22-year-old Brit who currently holds the title and Romania’s Constantin Popovici, 25, his predecessor. The two men have different approaches. Heslop is an incredibly quick spinner who tends to favor extremely difficult and dynamic moves while Popovici is famously meticulous, polished, and slightly more conservative.
“After the success of the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024, I can’t wait to get back to that part of the world,” Heslop said.
Carlson added, “Each competition brings its own unique energy and atmosphere. We always love to compete in and experience, new places and then share those things with our fans.”
Whoever comes out on top this weekend, the World Cup stop in Bahrain promises to be yet another spectacular and photogenic event marking history in front of Manama’s financial harbour.