Rhiannan Iffland tops the Women’s 20m, Constantin Popovici leads the Men’s 27m after 2-day of high-pressure prelims as some scores carry over and other dives must be performed again in the final.
The 23 men and 16 women, the world’s best high divers, resumed prelims on Friday (round 3 and 4), battling for a second consecutive day to secure their spots in the final. After two days of prelims and a combined score from four dive rounds, the top 14 women and 14 men have qualified to perform in the big show.
Women’s 20m
In the Women’s 20m, Rhiannan Iffland continued her lead with an overall impressive score of 351.40, creating a 28.6-point gap between her and second-place Molly Carlson.
Iffland’s third-round dive (an intermediate dive capped at a 3.4 degree of difficulty) scored a solid 85 points, which will carry over with her into the finals - giving her a clear advantage.
“(Dive) 3 really counted, (Dive) 4 was just to secure a spot in the final. Dive 3, I feel like I could have done it a little better. It was a small miss on the entry, but that’s okay. (I’m) super stoked and getting ready for tomorrow,” Iffland said.
Undefeated at the World Championships since 2017, the 33-year-old Aussie will now have a shot at a possible five-peat.
“I would love to be holding that gold medal at the end of the event, but coming and just being a part of my fifth world championships is an achievement in itself. Regardless, of tomorrow, I’m proud of what I’ve done. I try not to think about the end result too much while I’m diving, it’s kind of a step by step thing. With diving being such a fickle sport, you could miss one dive by a fraction and that’s it, gone. That’s kind of the way I’m playing it right now and obviously my brain is there and hoping for that and giving my all towards that goal." Iffland continued.
Molly Carlson, who had a rough third dive that placed her 13th after the round, came back stronger and nailed her fourth dive - 5181B, Forward 4 somersaults with 1/2 twist—to finish second after prelims.
“I definitely wanted to hit my round three, because it carries over to tomorrow, but it wasn’t perfect. I just have to deal with that. I have to fight tomorrow. I’m excited to head into the final, and hopefully hit two more dives and do them really well,” Carlson said.
The 26-year-old Canadian regained her confidence after round four - not only by performing the highest degree of difficulty dive in this Women’s 20m event, but also by successfully executing the same dive she once called a “near-death” experience on June 27, when she misjudged the edge of the tower and slid off the platform.
“My fourth round, I’m so proud of that comeback. After slipping, I was like, do not ever miss the platform again. At the end of the day, getting 7s on a scary dive, I’m just so proud of that, and I think I can do even better tomorrow. Definitely a step in the right direction.” she reflects.
USA’s Kaylea Arnett, with two consistent dives - finishing just 0.55 points behind Carlson after the second day of prelims. Maria Paula Quintero who was in the third place at prelims midpoint, went to fourth after round 3 and 4.
“The dives were really good today. We’re only going to keep the third round, so the first dive (of today), that’s the one that counts. I treated the second dive of today kind of practice, and it went pretty well for me but we could still clean up some stuff for tomorrow– the big day.” Arnett explained.
Men's 27m
In the Men’s 27m, Constantin Popovici and Carlos Gimeno went head-to-head, trading places for first and second during rounds 3 and 4. In the end, Popovici emerged on top of the list heading into the finals.
The 36-year-old Romanian executed a 6276B - Armstand Back 3½ Somersaults with 3 Twists in Pike - which carried a 6.0 degree of difficulty, making it the most difficult dive performed on the second day of prelims.
“The most important thing is the final. We reset two dives and we have easy and intermediate dives. The big points, you get it on the big dives. For example, I didn’t do my optional in training because I didn’t want to put too much stress on my body. I did one two days ago and that was enough for me. And now, I will repeat both before the final. Tomorrow is a day off, I’ll come for light training and Sunday I’ll give everything I got.” Popovici said.
The 35-year-old Spanish high diver delivered two solid dives, earning scores of 8s, 8.5s, and 9s from the judges. “I’m feeling very happy. In the first dive, I got 8s, so I’m very happy with that one, because also that is gonna get with me into the final. I have been working very hard, and I have experience in this sport. I feel the best in my career now. I feel strong, mentally strong too, physical, everything. I am very excited, and can’t wait to put up my best performance again on Sunday.” Gimeno said.
James Lichtenstein posted the second-best score in the third round with an intermediate dive (capped at a 3.6 degree of difficulty), giving him a boost heading into the finals. He ultimately finished third overall after prelims.
“I did a really good intermediate dive in Round 3. Honestly, I’ve been struggling with that one a little bit so it was nice to absolutely nail it. Not happy with the optional dive, but I actually didn’t warm that one up. I did it in competition and I plan on making it to the finals, and now in the finals, hopefully it’ll be better.” Lichtenstein explains.
Gary Hunt, who was fourth after the first day of prelims, had a rough start in today’s intermediate dive which put him 15th in the third round standings - and because third dive carries over, it will negatively impact his score heading into finals. Meanwhile, Catalin-Petru Preda delivered two solid dives and moved into fourth ahead of Hunt.
“I feel disappointed with my Round 3 dive. It’s usually a consistent dive for me, and yet a very small mistake in my position on the entry and the scores go from 9s to 6.5s or 7s. That will mean I have at least 20 points to catch up leading into the final, but it’s almost easier not to be in the lead. We’ll see. I’ll definitely be on full throttle." Hunt reflects.
Up Next:
High diving Women's 20m Final on Saturday at 11:00 Singapore time.