The champions HEWC the book

4. As a professional, what is the best thing about this sport and what sets it apart from
others?
The best thing about the sport is travelling to wonderful locations around the world. The
difference of high diving compared to other sports is the relationship between the athletes.
We often travel without coaches and so we help each other out. No one wants to
see anyone else get hurt so we are all happy when we get through a competition successfully.
5. What was the scariest/most difficult thing you ever had to face in this sport and how
did you overcome it?
The hardest dive that I currently compete was a big test for me, nobody had ever performed
the dive before so it was a real leap of faith.
6. What is the funniest/weirdest thing that has happened to you whilst doing this sport
professionally?
During a dive that I did in Boston there was an enormous bolt of lightening that struck
just as I took off from the platform. It was too late to stop so I just kept my nerve and
finished the dive.
7. Have you ever had a serious injury from this sport?
I’ve ended up in hospital after a high dive. I was performing a front quad with 2.5 twists
in Italy in 2010 and didn’t manage to fit all of the dive in before hitting the water. Luckily
I didn’t break any bones but I was really sore for about a month afterwards.
8. Who is your real life hero and why?
My sporting hero is my friend Gavin Brown with whom I learnt to dive and who was an
incredibly talented diver. He always wanted to learn the crazier dives and inspired me
to do so also. He unfortunately died in a car accident just when I started in the sport of
cliff diving and so the memory I have of his skills and his love for the sport inspires me
to push myself to the limits.