A new adventure awaits the world’s best cliff divers as Montréal gets ready to host the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series for the first time on August 25 in the Old Port. Montréal is the 6th of 8 stops on a packed 2024 calendar that will culminate in the world finals for both men and women divers, where the two world’s best will be awarded the coveted King Kahekili trophy, as well as a winner’s prize fund.
What is cliff diving?
Cliff diving is an elite extreme sport in which athletes launch themselves from a platform of between 21 and 27 metres (68 and 88 feet) high, depending on the gender. Founded in 2009, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series pits 12 men and 12 women against each other in each of 8 consecutive events in different stunning locations around the world, to earn maximum championship points. Each diver is judged by a panel on their acrobatics and artistic moves during the dive. The Montréal site? The stunning Grand Quay and Port of Montréal Tower.
Local sports history in the making
Two Canadian athletes are taking part this year: Molly Carlson (from Fort Frances, Ontario) and Montrealer Simone Leathead. A rookie on the circuit this season, the 20-year-old Leathead took part in the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, last summer. Both divers are coached by Montréal-based Stéphane Lapointe.
Montréal is the perfect place to take the plunge
Montréal is a city with deep roots in aquatic sports, particularly diving. In addition to hosting the Olympic Games in 1976 and the FINA World Championships in 2005, the city has been home to the 2023 World Aquatics Diving World Cup, 11 FINA Diving Grand Prix events, 3 FINA Diving World Series events and a FINA World Junior Championship.
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