A British diver has expressed his delight after securing second place in the penultimate event of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Polignano a Mare, Italy. Aidan Heslop, 20, from Plymouth, climbed from fifth to second place after receiving a perfect 10 from judges for his final dive from a height of 28 metres.
Heslop, who represented Great Britain in the competition, said he felt 'on top of the world' after the achievement. 'To jump from fifth place to second and get scored a 10 on the way is not a bad feeling,' he told the PA news agency. The atmosphere in Polignano is always great, we love this stop because the crowd is always amazing here.'
The event saw France's Gary Hunt take first place, with Catalin Preda of Romania finishing third. Heslop's mother, Helen, who travelled to watch him compete, said she was 'beyond proud' of his performance. 'Obviously it is nerve-wracking to watch but I am absolutely beyond proud of Aidan. He has worked so hard for this,' she said.
Heslop, who became the youngest diver to compete in the Red Bull World Series at age 16 in 2018, also represented Wales in the Commonwealth Games that year. Reflecting on his rapid rise, he admitted he always knew he would be successful but never imagined achieving it at such a young age. 'I did kind of always know that I’d be in this position at some point but not at 20 years old,' he said.
The competition also brought personal milestones for Heslop, who met his Canadian girlfriend, fellow cliff diver Molly Carson, through the sport. Carson, a TikTok sensation with over 3.4 million followers, finished second in the women's event. The couple, who met on Instagram and fell in love while competing in Ireland, faced the added nerve-wracking experience of meeting each other's parents during the weekend.
