Niki Stajkovic is a former Olympic diver and now the sports director of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
In an interview, the Austrian tells us about his diving heritage, his career in the pool and what makes cliff diving different.
Niki, you must remember your first jump from 10 metres...
Sure. I made my first big jump in Hallein [in Salzburg, Austria] when I was five years old. My dad promised me a special coin if I dared to go head first from the top. What can I say? I did it!
There aren't a lot of five-year-olds that would do that for money…
My dad introduced me to high diving when I was just three. He was crazy about it and could have become a diplomat but decided to stick with high diving. He kind of lived his dreams through me as well.
Between 1972 and 1992 you appeared at five Olympic Games. What is your most precious memory?
It was almost six games, but I couldn't appear at Los Angeles in 1984 because I was injured. The games in the 70s were more amateur-like and that was what I liked the most. The Olympics weren’t so much about business and you were even able to smuggle in some of your relatives. But then the assassination happened [at the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972].
You were 13 at the games in Munich. What was your experience of the situation?
We just went down to get some breakfast and I heard some noises. I couldn’t tell what they were. Later on we found out that the noises came from machine guns. It was a tragic event.
Your best Olympic result was eighth at the games in Moscow. What did you think of your performance?
Unfortunately I wasn't really 100 percent fit. I started in Seoul despite having blood poisoning and in Barcelona I had an allergic shock to penicillin. But the experts had always ranked me within the top three. I guess today you would contact a sports‘ psychiatrist when something like that happens – if I could go back, I would call one [laughs].
Psychology is also really important in cliff diving. What is the most important character trait that a diver needs to have?
He has to be mentally strong. It's all about performing a dive exactly as you planned it. Diving into the water can be painful enough from 30 feet, but when you cliff dive you have bigger forces and the risk of getting injured is a lot higher.
Are cliff divers daredevils?
No. Concentration plays an important part. On the other hand, our guys never miss an opportunity to have fun. They are all great guys and athletes. Most of them are amateurs, meaning that they have normal jobs and need to take time off for cliff diving. Right now, we are like a big family.
As the sports manager you are also responsible for the diver's safety. What critieria does a location need to fulfil in order to be picked as a spot to cliff dive?
Firstly, the platform needs to be absolutely stable and musn't give in. The platform needs to have the same surface at all times for the more complex jumps. Secondly, the dive area needs to be at least five metres deep and the point at which you hit the water must be safely away from the wall. We have divers, who are always under water, to make sure that the athletes are okay once they dive in. And of course, there's always a doctor on call in a boat. The nearby hospitals are always informed, in case we have a big emergency.
The Brit Gary Hunt was able to win three out of four events. Why is he that strong?
Gary is a technical genius. This year, he is more focused on the challenges and doesn't let himself get distracted. His technical abilities give him the chance to complete the hardest jumps.
So, there's a chance that the Series will be decided in Switzerland. Most people don't know where Sisikon actually is. Why do you like it there?
Sisikon is a tiny village with about 350 inhabitants and each and every one of them is just amazing. Out of these 350, the majority are involved in the event, some in the fire fighters or in the water security. I also found out that the cliché of the hard working Swiss is true: the construction work was finished two days before it was scheduled!
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