Cliff Diving
Rhi Iffland's Copenhagen Diary: Victory, Injury and Chasing History
Fresh from another Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series win, Rhi Iffland reflects on competing through injury, equalling a historic record and embracing the Euro summer in Copenhagen.
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Copenhagen in a word? Crazy!
I was back on top after [last month’s stop in] Tampa, which was the closest event that I think we've ever seen - there was just 0.1 of a point in it! Being exposed to that sort of pressure, where you have a minute to perform, was actually really exciting, and I just loved it. It gave me a lot of motivation and excitement going into Copenhagen.
I'm super stoked to have taken out another win. In terms of the World Series standings, I felt like I really needed that one to keep crawling forward in the rankings, but more than anything, I just really enjoyed the competition.
Denmark is one of those places where you can have four seasons in one day, so you never really know what you’re going to get. But we were so lucky with the weather and had a great time enjoying the Euro summer vibes while we were there.
This stop was not without its challenges, though. I picked up an injury, so as happy as I was to come away with the win, my focus now is on getting that sorted, recovering well and making sure I’m ready for the next stop.
This stop was not without its challenges, though. I picked up an injury, so as happy as I was to come away with the win, my focus now is on getting that sorted, recovering well and making sure I’m ready for the next stop.
Injury strikes
Unfortunately, the injury struck on the very first dive of the weekend. It's been quite a common one since I started high diving 10 years ago - I often pull my adductors, and I have torn cartilage in my hips as well. When we hit the water at that speed and with that force, your legs creep apart, and on that first dive, my leg just went out to the side.
I woke up the next day and was like, “Oh my god, I actually have no idea how I'm gonna get through the rest of the event.” The idea did come to mind to pull out, but I've dealt with an injury like this before, so I knew what I was working with. It became a matter of managing it as best I could throughout the weekend.
The biggest thing I had to weigh up was what the rest of the season looked like. I knew I needed a result in Copenhagen, but I also had to think about what dives were coming up, whether I could minimise my training dives and how much recovery time I’d have before the next stop.
The biggest thing I had to weigh up was what the rest of the season looked like. I knew I needed a result in Copenhagen, but I also had to think about what dives were coming up, whether I could minimise my training dives and how much recovery time I’d have before the next stop.
Your body is the most important thing you’ve got, so it’s never an easy decision. You’re constantly asking yourself, “How much worse could I make this?” I spoke with the physios throughout the weekend, and they were pretty reassuring. They said it wasn’t anything I hadn’t dealt with before - in fact, they’d seen me dive in worse condition than this!
In the end, I just had to analyse it within myself and lean on my past experience. It’s already a bit better, and I’ve spent the last couple of days with the physios and back in the gym. I’m going to start training again now to test it out.
Rhiannan Iffland dives from the 21.5-metre platform
© Dean Treml
Not about the numbers
I don’t pay that much attention to the numbers or the stats. It wasn’t until after the competition that people were like, “Hey, you just became the GOAT!” [by equalling Gary Hunt’s record of 47 all-time wins].
After the event, Gary came up to me and joked that now it's a competition between us to see who can reach 50 wins first! It was a pretty cool moment, but to be honest, I didn’t really have time to stop and think about it.
I've been doing this for 10 years now, and there have been quite a few moments along the way where you go, “Did I really just do that? Did I actually achieve that?”
I've been doing this for 10 years now, and there have been quite a few moments along the way where you go, “Did I really just do that? Did I actually achieve that?” But I still feel exactly the same. I still feel like the same athlete. I don’t do this sport purely for records or statistics - that’s not the main goal. There are so many other aspects of the sport that keep me working toward small goals along the way.
Rhiannan Iffland and Molly Carlson react during the second competition day
© Romina Amato
Raising the bar - together
One of the coolest things I’ve noticed over the last two stops - Tampa and Copenhagen - is just how well the women are performing under pressure.
When it came down to those final-round dives with the highest degree of difficulty, everyone just stepped up. It felt like every woman was landing big dives when it mattered most, and I thought that was pretty special to watch.
The standard is getting higher every event because we’re all pushing each other. You can really feel it around the platform. When someone comes out of the water, all the girls are standing there together, cheering each other on. There’s such a positive atmosphere, and I genuinely think that camaraderie helps all of us perform better.
It’s competitive, of course, but it’s also incredibly supportive, and that’s something I really love about the women’s side of the sport at the moment.
It’s competitive, of course, but it’s also incredibly supportive, and that’s something I really love about the women’s side of the sport at the moment.
One of the biggest standouts for me has been Stella Forsyth. She’s only 19, Copenhagen was just her second stop on the series, but she looked less nervous than I did - and I think I’m up to about my 50th event!
I love seeing young athletes come into the sport with that sort of confidence. She’s making the most of every opportunity, travelling between competitions to keep improving and really earning her place on the series.
Seeing another Aussie doing that is pretty cool, and I’m excited to see what Stella does next.
Summer in Copenhagen
Copenhagen is one of my favourite cities in the world - on a nice day! I just love the energy. On a summer's day in Copenhagen, the atmosphere is so alive because everybody is out on the street and making the most of those summer days, because there really aren’t that many.
The crowd was really cool as well. There were 60,000 people there watching us dive off the roof of the Opera House! You enter through the bottom of the building, and the athlete area is set up in one of the dance studios. Then you take the elevator up to the top level, and it opens up onto the roof of the Opera House. As you’re walking down to the platform, you’re looking straight at Queen Mary’s palace! It’s a pretty incredible setting.
It couldn’t have been more different to Bali. We’d been expecting typical Copenhagen weather, where you can get four seasons in a day and strong winds that make things really challenging. Last time we competed there, I think the winds were 40-something kilometres per hour. This time, we got beautiful sunshine and really comfortable diving conditions.
It wasn't super early mornings and long days like Bali was, either, so we got to hang out a little more on this stop. Because everything was so close together, we’d walk through the city every day to get to the venue and then wander home afterwards. We’d stop along the canals for a spritz, hang out at the food market across from the Opera House, grab a glass of wine and just spend time with everyone after training. Those little moments are some of my favourites on tour.
And of course, we managed to catch a few World Cup games with our European mates - we’ve even got a fantasy football comp going within the Red Bull cliff diving crew. Watching other athletes compete is always inspiring. Especially if it’s surfing, skiing or the Winter Olympics, I’ll find myself watching and thinking, “Oh damn, I want to be out there competing too!”
Rhiannan Iffland of Australia dives from the Copenhagen Opera House
© Romina Amato
On the road again
Right now I’m based in Innsbruck, Austria, and using it as my home base for this part of the season. I'll be training at a place called Area 47, which has a high dive tower, so it’s the perfect place to keep preparing while I’m over here. In a week's time, I’ll head to Sardinia for the World Aquatics World Cup before the Red Bull series continues in Mostar at the end of July.
For now, it’s all about managing the injury and getting back to full training. In the meantime, I’m also trying to have some fun and do a little bit of sightseeing and day trips when I can, and just hanging out and getting ready for the next events. I can’t wait to see what the next stop brings.
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