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MANILA, Philippines — All boats lead to the majestic island of El Nido in Palawan for the second time around as the country’s top destination hosts the opener of 16th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series next week.
El Nido first hosted the world-class event in 2019 before its much-awaited return this year featuring 24 of the world’s best cliff divers aiming to open the season on April 11-13 in splash.
The series then troops to Polignano A Mare in Italy on June 28-29; Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 5-6; and Boston in the United States on September 19-20.
A split of 12 men and 12 women are entered in the Red Bull tilt known for gravity-defying acts and jaw-dropping display of athleticism at one of the best islands in the world.
With a projected speed of 85kph, the men’s division will have a clearance height of 27 meters with the female divers jumping from 21 meters in the three-day tournament that will hop around the coves of Lagen Island and the renowned Small and Big Lagoons of the Miniloc Island.
Two of the participants in Olympian bronze medalist Oleksiy Prygorov of Ukraine and Filipina-Australian Xantheia Pennisi on Wednesday showed a glimpse of what the world-class event has to offer, sharing the excitement in their Philippine return and training with the Filipino divers.
Red Bull treated the Philippine diving team with a clinic at the New Clark City Aquatics Center led by Prygorov and Pennisi themselves to help in the country’s preparations for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok in December.
“I love coming back for my family and relatives here. I know the location as we’ve been here before. It’s a special place for me. It’s an honor to be able to represent both the Philippines and Australia,” said Pennisi, whose mother hails from Tarlac, in the event presser on Tuesday in Capas, Tarlac.
“I love warm weather so the Philippines is a special place for me. It’s in the Top 3 of my favorite spots in the world. The sun here is nice for diving so I’m excited,” said Prygorov.
Prygorov, 37, finished 11th in the 2019 El Nido leg while Pennisi, 26, placed seventh to make it a perfect opportunity for a sweet revenge against a mixture of returning and new divers from all over the world.
Great Britain’s Gary Hunt and Australia's Rhiannan Iffland won the 2019 El Nido edition en route to the season championship and the prestigious King Kahekili, which will be up for grabs in the finale in Boston later this year.
