Rhiannan Iffland, the audacious thrill-seeker and world-class diver, took on a brand new challenge just days after riding a dangerous waterslide that was banned for women.
The Australian cliff-diver, 32, leaped off a balcony and performed three other exhilarating dives to defend her World Series champion title in the women’s competition of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
Days after going viral for jumping off an extreme waterslide banned for women, the champion diver attended the third event of the 2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, which took place in Polignano a Mare, Italy.
Rhiannan Iffland took part in the Polignano a Mare, Italy, segment of the 2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series just days after she went viral for riding an extreme waterslide that women were not allowed on
Rhiannan secured first place in the Polignano a Mare chapter of the competition after four rounds.
Prior to the competition, the champion diver shared a video on Instagram, showing her audience the kind of hotel balcony she and her fellow competitors had to jump off for Round 1 of the competition.
The 12 female and 12 male divers were expected to jump off the Amore di Mare Balcony on Friday, June 28, and Rhiannan was first to step out on the balcony and kick off the women’s competition.
The 32-year-old Australian diver shared a clip showing the kind of hotel balcony they had to jump off of for round 1 of the competition
Rounds 2, 3, and 4 took place at other locations in Polignano a Mare over the weekend, at the end of which Rhiannan stood first place on the podium.
“I think you have to turn out to every location and give it everything. I love the energy in this place… it’s just magical. [New divers like Kaylea Arnett are] definitely motivating me, it’s really nice to see that this sport is growing in the way it is. Now you have put down four consistent dive[s],” she told Red Bull after securing her win.
“In Round 1 and 2, the pressure was definitely [there], but you just never know… this year I think it’s going to be an exciting fight for the title, it’s going to drive me as a diver and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds,” she added.
“I love the energy in this place… it’s just magical,” she said about Polignano a Mare, where she emerged as the winner after four rounds of diving
The defending World Series champion is known for her breathtaking leaps from dizzying heights. With a fearless spirit and an insatiable appetite for adventure, she soars through the air, twisting and turning with grace before slicing into the water below.
Her remarkable talent has earned her numerous accolades and the admiration of fans worldwide.
The thrill-seeking athlete is a trailblazer in her sport of cliff diving. She took up elite trampolining at the age of 9 and eventually moved to Olympic diving, both of which she believes contributed to her cliff diving skills.
At the age of 17, the self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie wanted to be a cop in her native Australia. But she gave up on her crime-fighting ambitions when she realized how much fun she was having while performing and entertaining crowds on cruise ships.
The diving champion admitted she finds it “petrifying” when she dives from a new location
Rhiannan certainly is a force to be reckoned with in the sport, but she admitted that any dive at a new location is “petrifying.”
“The energy of the crowd makes me feel like I am not alone up there,” she told the U.S. Sun.
“I know how the dive is going to go before I even step in. Most of the time, just how I’m feeling mentally,” she added.
Days before she traveled to Italy, Rhiannan went viral for jumping down a dangerous waterslide in Austria’s Area 47 adventure park
The next stop in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is Northern Ireland, where divers will compete on July 20. After stops in Norway, Canada, and Turkey in the months of August and September, the world series will conclude in Sydney, Australia, by November.
Rhiannan is on track to be crowned the champion once again this year.
“I’m definitely been getting nudged by the others,” she told the outlet and added, “But it’s a cool life. It’s definitely stressful yet I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie pointed toward a sign that said women were not allowed on the slide in the viral clip
It has only been a matter of days since the diving champion went viral for sharing a video of herself jumping down an extreme waterslide in Austria’s Area 47 adventure park.
The video, which amassed nearly 150k views on Instagram, featured Rhiannan pointing at a sign that said women were not allowed on the water slide due to the risk of injury.
“Apparently women are not supposed to do this slide,” read the text on the clip.
The fearless Australian diver later admitted it was never her intention to “mock the safety regulations of this water slide”
Several social media users raised the alarm, pointing fingers at the adrenaline junkie for breaking the rules that forbade women from riding down the waterslide.
She eventually addressed the concerns and said it was not her intention to look down upon the waterslide’s rules. She also asserted that safety must always be a top priority.
“It was never my intent to mock the safety regulations of this water slide,” she told news.com.au.
“A person’s safety is paramount and I am constantly weighing up any danger with my job. To suggest otherwise, is wrong,” she added.
Rhiannan’s videos almost always spark jaw-dropping reactions, with one commenting on her waterslide clip that it was “not worth risking a hysterectomy”
