Rhiannan
Iffland
Australia
·
Cliff Diving
Date of birth | September 9, 1991 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Newcastle |
Age | 34 |
Nationality | Australia |
Career start | 2016 |
Disciplines | Cliff Diving |
After exploding onto the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in 2016 with a debut victory in Texas, Rhiannan Iffland has gone on to rack up unparalleled records in the sport. With nine World Series titles, 42 wins in 52 stops, three World Aquatics High Diving gold medals and two full seasons unbeaten, Iffland is the most decorated female athlete in the history of cliff diving.
An avid trampolinist from a young age, the Newcastle native began diving at the age of nine and admits to being ‘petrified’ the first time she clambered up onto a platform. Soon enough, though, she was competing regularly from 3m and 10m before utilising her acrobatic skills to entertain crowds on cruise ships in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. It was during this time that she was first introduced to high diving.
“With my background in trampolining and diving, along with a desire just to really push myself, I decided that high diving was where I wanted to take the leap,” Iffland revealed in a recent interview. “I spent 18 months learning the skills needed for high diving from 10m, then gradually moved up the heights, eventually arriving at cliff diving.”
After that stunning debut in Possum Kingdom Lake, Iffland won four of the next six events, wrapping up her first title under the lights in Dubai. Four more successive King Kahekili trophies have followed for the 31-year-old, who names fellow Aussie athletes Loudy Tourky and Layne Beachley as her inspirations growing up.
In 2019, Iffland enjoyed the type of year most athletes can only dream of, winning all seven World Series stops to complete an historic perfect season. Remarkably, she then returned following the pandemic break to do it again in 2021, this time adding a first ‘perfect 10’ dive to her growing list of records.
In the last two seasons, Iffland has come under strong pressure from the young newcomer Molly Carlson, who is the only diver to prevent the Aussie from winning since 2018. After losing out to the Canadian at the 2022 season opener in Boston, she heeded the wake-up call and reeled off seven wins in a row to claim her sixth title in front of friends and family on home soil in Sydney. In 2023, despite another defeat at the hands of Carlson in Mostar, five victories at the other stops were enough to hold off the challenge once again.
‘Cliffland’, whose other passions include skiing, rock climbing, bouldering and surfing, has just won her eighth title in 2024.
As for 2025, in April, Iffland kicked off the year in dominant fashion by winning the opening stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in El Nido, Philippines.
She followed that up by winning the second stop in Polignano a Mare, Italy, in late June, despite challenging wind and wave conditions.
At the 2025 World Aquatics Championships held in Singapore (July), she secured her fifth consecutive women’s 20-m high diving world title. She finished with a score of 359.25 points, well ahead of her closest competitors.
She also won the 2025 World Aquatics High Diving World Cup in Porto Flavia, Italy, dominating all four rounds.
Overall, Iffland’s 2025 has been marked by consistency, composure under pressure, and continued dominance in both Red Bull Cliff Diving and World Aquatics competitions.
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