Extreme diving in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris: There is a serenity when you jump

Eiffel Tower: “There is a serenity when you jump”, explains  Gary Hunt, on the occasion of the Parisian stage of the world high-flying diving circuit Red Bull Cliff Diving, Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18, 2022, in front of the Eiffel Tower.

The Briton by birth naturalized French in 2018, is still at the age of 38 “THE” reference in this spectacular discipline where he jumps from a platform 27 meters high to dive into the Seine.

“I took diving lessons and I liked it straight away”

Why did you choose this discipline?

Gary Hunt: “I did a little dancing when I was young and also gymnastics and then swimming, but I didn’t like it. At one point, I saw divers in another pool: they seemed to be having more fun than I. I took diving lessons and I immediately loved it”.

How do we proceed to reach 27 meters?

Gary Hunt: “After 10 meters (competition diving boards in the pool, editor’s note), the divers perform in a small pool 8 meters in diameter and 2.70 meters deep. There is a small platform that moves and allows you to climb up to 20 meters. That’s what I did, first in Italy and then in an amusement park in Maizières-lès-Metz (Moselle) at the Walygator (…) In 2008 I did my first Red Bull competition at 25 meters and then in 2009 at 27 meters when they created the Red Bull series”.

Gary Hunt: “At 10 meters, we are a little more limited. As soon as I started jumping higher, with that three-second drop, the possibilities were huge. I had a new playground, I had this feeling of fear again. It is sure that if there was no risk, I would like it less. There is a serenity the moment you jump.

Before, there are always doubts and apprehensions. But once you leave the platform, you know you can’t go back. All his fears and doubts go away. The body takes control: it’s time for action (…) We imagine the dive in our heads a hundred times too. We have two days of competition and one day of training. It’s very intense: you can prepare for a dive all year round and you only have one day of training to try it and see if you’re ready”.

You have won nine of the twelve editions of the Red Bull Cliff Diving circuit, what are your expectations for this year?

Gary Hunt: “Winning the tenth title. I think ten times champion sounds better than nine. To show that I can still do it. But the game is different. Many young people came to the first stages with very difficult dives, more difficult than mine. Me, I’m going to play on consistency and try to reach the perfect score of 10. I’ve done it before but it rarely happens.

You have already jumped to France, but since Brexit, you have taken French nationality. Jumping in Paris has a special flavor for you today?

Gary Hunt: “It’s an incredible opportunity. I’ve been living in France for a long time, since 2010. It was a natural progression for me to become French and jump for France. I finished second in Boston (one of the stages of the Red Bull Cliff Diving 2022 on June 4, editor’s note) so that gives me the confidence to claim victory at home in a week”.

You would have liked this discipline to be represented at the Paris Olympics in 2024, but that will not be the case. But competing in Paris this year, is it a nice compensation?

Gary Hunt: “For me, it’s a great step for the progression of the sport. We hope to be part of the opening ceremony (of the 2024 Olympics, editor’s note). And the fact of organizing an event like that is a good point. Many people think it could be part of the Olympics in 2028. Me, I don’t know if I’ll still be there, just in Paris I’ll be 40 years old but I’m sure that one day it will become an Olympic discipline.