Injuries are something the cliff diver can ill afford. The 13 athletes have only themselves to rely on – there is no hiding place, even in somewhere as remote as Cenote Ik Kil...
With top-six hopefuls, Hassan Mouti and Kent De Mond, both limping out of the second day of training in Mexico, just 24 hours before the start of the second competition, an anxious wait lies in store for both men.
Frenchman Mouti was nursing a foot injury that he sustained in diving competition prior to his arrival in Mexico and, after hitting his first dive in training on Saturday, the 29-year-old suffered recurring pain.
De Mond, who finished third in La Rochelle, France, completed two training dives before pulling his groin upon impact with the water.
“I’m confident about the dive itself, I just hope that the stupid little accident this afternoon doesn’t affect me tomorrow,” said the American.
‘My birthday wish was to do my new dive!’ – Navratil
Even birthday boy Michal Navratil had his celebrations tempered as he failed to complete a dive he had been preparing for since before the start of the 2010 World Series.
“My birthday wish? I wish I could do my new dive that I prepared a few months ago,” said Navratil, who turned 25 on Saturday.
It could have been a happier birthday for the powerfully built Czech had he felt more comfortable on the platform, with the star the only diver to return for the optional training later on in the day.
Steve Black, who suffered more than most in training prior to the competition in La Rochelle, was happy at least after delivering in training the dive that he had attempted to execute in France.
The experienced Aussie got ‘lost’ attempting a twist in training which affected his confidence for the rest of the competition.
“It’s a high diver’s nightmare getting lost in the air like I did in La Rochelle," he said. "It was a challenge doing it again today but I got it off and it felt like having a baby – that’s how much of a relief it was!"
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