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Constantin Popovici of Romania dives from 24.5 metres off the pinnacle in the Small Lagoon during the second competition day of the first stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in El Nido, Philippines on April 12, 2025.
(Dean Treml / Red Bull Content Pool)
EL NIDO, Palawan — Constantin Popovici of Romania dove closer to a triumphant revenge tour as eight-time champion Rhiannan Iffland of Australia rose to the leaderboard of the 2025 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Saturday at the Small Lagoon here.
Popovici, the 2023 champion and 2024 runner-up, finished only fourth with 77.0 points in the second stage but held on to the first place with a total of 171.50 points entering the final day with two rounds packed in one at the Big Lagoon.
The 36-year-old pride of Bucharest ruled the first round with 94.50 points at the Lagen Island, unleashing a near perfect performance with a bevy of twists and somersaults paired by a strong take off and clean entry to the waters with a 2.8 degree of difficulty.
Iffland, 31, finished fifth with 57.20 points on a 2.6 degree of difficulty in Round 2 but the stumble of first-round winner Kaylea Arnett of the United States to 11th place in the round was more than enough for her to snatch the driver’s seat.
Gunning for her ninth title, Iffland tallied 88.40 points for second place in Round 1 for a total of 145.60 to zoom past Arnett, who slid to fourth with a total of 130.40 points. Arnett impressed with 90.10 points in Round 1 before a dismal 40.30-point outing in Round 2.
Barring any major changes in the tougher finale Sunday featuring two straight rounds, Popovici and Iffland could be in for a victory sail into the renowned Big Lagoon boasting El Nido’s world-class limestone cliffs, where 24 divers jump from 27 meters for men and 21 meters for women, respectively.
“Consistency is the main goal. So far we had two easy rounds and today is the big day with the big dive so everybody is putting their focus there,” said Popovici, looking to capitalize on the absence of reigning champion Aidan Heslop of Great Britain due to a back injury.
“I think the last two rounds are the ones that actually count. I feel like I put myself in a good position for the last two rounds,” added Iffland.
Mexico’s Jonathan Paredes, fourth-placer in Round 1, placed third this time to steal the No. 2 spot with accumulative points of 164.85 points, in the men’s division.
Oleksiy Pyrgorov of Ukraine topped the second round with 97.20 points to jack up his total to 164.40 points for now the third spot after a sixth-place finish in the first stage with 67.20 points.
First-round podium placers James Lichtenstein (149.45) and Carlos Gimeno (137.20) of Spain struggled this round to slide to fifth and sixth as 10-time champion Gary Hunt (157.20) jumped to No. 4, bouncing back big time with a second-place finish to jump from No. 6 in the first round.
In the women’s category, first-round third-placer Nellin Chuvanivska (137.55) of Ukraine moved to second while Molly Carlson (131.80) of Canada improved on her fifth-place opener by ruling the round to leap to third spot.
