Cliff Diving
Nerves, Nines and No. 10: Rhi Iffland’s Mostar World Title
From a sleepless arrival to a nail-biting final dive, Rhi Iffland takes us behind the scenes of the Mostar weekend that delivered her 10th world title.
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A 10th World Title... I don't really know if it's sunk in yet properly.
There have been so many hours of hard work and challenging moments that I've pushed through this year, so it's a really rewarding feeling knowing that all of those moments have been worth it, not only for myself but for my family as well. There have been so many sacrifices, and I think the biggest thing is just proving to yourself that you can overcome a lot of things and you can keep going.
But there's also a part of me that's like, “Okay, that was the benchmark.” I wanted to chase number 10 and then reassess and see what comes next - if I'm still hungry to keep competing, or if I want to challenge myself in different ways.
I wanted to chase number 10 and then reassess and see what comes next - if I'm still hungry to keep competing, or if I want to challenge myself in different ways.
In saying that, there's still one event left in the World Series, so I think I'll let it all sink in after the next stop, Polignano a Mare.
Mostar moments
From the moment you arrive in Bosnia, there's this mix of excitement and nerves. We flew in late at night and I went to sleep at about 2am. When I woke up, I was in a place I know and love, but there was that little voice in the back of my head going, “No, you've got to compete tomorrow.”
The first dive in Mostar is from the bridge. We've only been doing that for the last couple of years, but diving from the bridge is part of the local tradition - they've been doing it for hundreds of years, and they wanted us to compete in that traditional setting.
The first dive in Mostar is from the bridge. We've only been doing that for the last couple of years, but diving from the bridge is part of the local tradition - they've been doing it for hundreds of years, and they wanted us to compete in that traditional setting.
It's usually the simple, more graceful dive that we do directly from the bridge. It's really cool because you turn up and see all the local divers. I've been coming to Mostar for nine years, so I know a lot of them and I've seen them dive from the bridge. Sometimes they put on a show, and it's really special to watch them dive and then dive right after them.
But diving from the bridge is a scary one for me. It's always the most intimidating location, because for some reason the river looks far higher than it actually is. I know I'm going to feel like that, so I was almost anticipating it before I even got there. I was already super nervous to start diving.
Then, as the dives go on and the days go on, it's just an up and down. You finish the really scary bridge dive and you calm down, and then you wake up the next day thinking, “Oh shit, I've got to do the really difficult dive.” It's really just this up-and-down wave of emotions and feelings.
There was one moment before my last dive that really stands out. Molly [Carlson] and I were separated by two points, and she put down a dive for nines. I was like, “Oh my God, I'm really going to have to pull out something special here, and I'm going to have to hold my nerve.”
Molly [Carlson] and I were separated by two points, and she put down a dive for nines. I was like, “Oh my God, I'm really going to have to pull out something special here, and I'm going to have to hold my nerve.”
While I was standing on the platform, a video played of me talking about the bigger picture of my sport - why I'm doing it and why I still love it. I remember thinking to myself, “That's exactly right, what I just said.”
Standing there in front of thousands and thousands of people who have been supporting the event over the last eight years, I just felt myself sink into it all. I wasn't so nervous anymore. I was really appreciative to be there, thinking, “Okay, I really love competing, and I've come such a long way. What a sick life I'm living. It's amazing.”
The other standout moment was after I did my dive, I popped my head up out of the water and looked at the scoreboard. I knew I needed nines, but the only scorecard I noticed was the one eight and a half. I didn't see the nines, so I thought I’d come second. I was like, “Oh, what a shame. Okay, second, that's great. On to cooling down.”
Then I came out of the ladder, and they were like, “No, you guys got the same scores, so that means you won.” That was a full 360 of emotions in a couple of minutes.
Molly Carlson, Rhiannan Iffland and Xantheia Pennisi celebrate
© Dean Treml
Eyes on the leaderboard
Overall, it was hard for me to ignore where I was sitting on the leaderboard during the competition. I knew that if they cancelled Oman, I could most likely take out the World Series here, and that became more present when they did cancel that stop.
Then you have everybody coming up saying, “Well, you know, if you have a win here or a good result here, you can take out the World Series.” So it was really hard to ignore. I'd tried from the beginning of the series not to let that get into my head too much because it just gets overwhelming.
Then you have everybody coming up saying, “Well, you know, if you have a win here or a good result here, you can take out the World Series.” So it was really hard to ignore. I'd tried from the beginning of the series not to let that get into my head too much because it just gets overwhelming.
I really try to focus on dive to dive or competition to competition. In terms of the overall standings, I knew that I needed a good one to take it out now. But when it comes to competing, sometimes I watch the other dives and watch where I am on the leaderboard - how many points I'm behind, what I need to catch up. Usually I try not to, but sometimes I do. If I need a bit of a kick up the butt, then I'll be like, “Alright, let me check how many points I need.” I put a little bit of pressure on myself, but sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
Resetting after Copenhagen
Between Copenhagen and Mostar, I actually did a World Cup - a World Aquatics event in Sardinia.
It was pretty average, actually. The event was awesome, but I dropped a dive big time and had to fight my way back up the leaderboard. After that, it took me a couple of days to come around from the event and calm down.
I went to see some friends in Switzerland, and then I had two days off in Austria when I got back there as well. I think it's really important, especially during a long season like this, to find happiness and excitement outside of the sport as well as in the training. I think that really contributes to turning up, resetting your mind and being in a good place mentally.
I was also still struggling with my knee and groin injuries. The adductor injury from Copenhagen had kind of trickled down into my knee, and it was very up and down. That’s what happens when you hit the water at 80km an hour!
The adductor injury from Copenhagen had kind of trickled down into my knee, and it was very up and down. That’s what happens when you hit the water at 80km an hour!
I was deciding whether to go to the Red Bull headquarters in Salzburg for a few days of treatment and prioritise that over training. I was tossing up whether I had enough time and what needed to be done to prepare for Bosnia. In the end, I stayed around and trained, went to the gym and prepared as usual for Mostar, knowing that I had a six-week break afterwards.
I'm glad I made that decision. I tried to prepare as much as possible in the pool, stay calm and have some sort of routine.
Rhiannan Iffland dives from the 21.5-metre platform on Stari Most
© Dean Treml
Home again
I arrived back in Australia two days ago - I celebrated my win in Bosnia by jumping on a plane and coming home! We had some dinner and drinks after the event, but I had a 35-hour trip from Mostar back to Sydney, so I tried to be smart and a little bit tame and just wait until I got home.
After Polignano, that'll be when the big party happens and we get our dancing shoes out. That's one of my favourite ways to celebrate - the other is a post-event burger and fries!
You always think you get used to the travel, but you never really do. It took me a couple of days to recover, but today I've finally come back to life. We have quite a break now. I'll start training again on Monday, which will work out to be about a week off. My knee was quite painful after the last event, so a little bit of time with the physio and just chilling out will do me good.
I was supposed to go skiing at Perisher for a couple of days, but I've had to cancel that because of my knee. I've been going there since I was a kid, and I wish I was going again this year. Instead, I'm going to head up to Lake Macquarie as much as I can and hang out with Mum and Dad.
The week before Polignano, I'll fly back to Austria for a youth camp with three younger female divers and three younger male divers. I'm going to go and check that out, do a little bit of coaching and have a play around with them.
Molly Carlson and Rhiannan Iffland react during the final competition day
© Dean Treml
Final stop: Polignano
Polignano is one of my favourites. You just have to look at the place to understand why. If you see photos or videos of the event, it actually looks like that in real life. They call me the queen of Polignano!
Polignano is one of my favourites. You just have to look at the place to understand why. If you see photos or videos of the event, it actually looks like that in real life. They call me the queen of Polignano!
It's the people, the atmosphere and the energy of the place. Some years we get 70,000 people there spectating. Everybody's on the beach during the event, or they rock up in boats, and the crowd just goes absolutely nuts.
After we dive, we walk up through the cobblestone streets and past the big cathedral. We walk past all the restaurants and bars in the main square, in our swimsuits, while people are drinking Aperol spritz and espresso, having a gelato, eating pasta or pizza.
They're waving and celebrating the event with you, which is really special. I also have so many good memories there with friends hanging out in the town, and it almost feels kind of homely when we go back to Polignano.
Then there are the balcony dives. Sometimes the sea is rough and you don't know what to expect, so it's just a really exciting place to dive. It's beautiful, the food is amazing, the atmosphere is incredible - it's the perfect place to end a good season.
And this time, I know the pressure is off a little bit because I won't be going there needing a result to take out the World Series. I know I'm going there and I'm going to hoist the trophy no matter what. I think that gives me a little bit more freedom in my mind. I'm really excited to go there and enjoy the competition more, with less stress and less pressure.
But obviously, I have a competitive nature. I wouldn't be the person I am if I didn't have that competitive spirit, so I still want to go for a good result. Once I get there, that competitive inner self will take over and I'll forget about the rest!
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54 min
Legacy of the old bridge
See the best action from Mostar as the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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