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The Audio Long Read

No coach, no agent, no ego: the incredible story of the ‘Lionel Messi of cliff diving’

The Audio Long Read

The Guardian

Society & Culture

4.32.4K Ratings

🗓️ 6 March 2023

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Gary Hunt is an enigma. He trains with the intensity of a modern athlete, but relaxes like a sportsman of a bygone era. He is fiercely competitive but unbelievably laid-back. How did he become the greatest cliff diver of all time?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the Guardian.

0:30.0

Welcome to the Guardian Long Read, showcasing the best long-form journalism covering culture, politics and new thinking.

0:51.0

For the text version of this and all our long reads, go to thegardion.com forward slash long read.

1:00.0

No coach, no agent, no ego. The incredible story of the Lionel Messi of cliff diving by Zan Rice.

1:11.0

In early May 2009, 12 men arrived in La Rochelle on the west coast of France, carrying a few pairs of speedos in their luggage.

1:27.0

They had not come to swim, but as they liked to put it, to fly.

1:32.0

Their sport, which involves diving from cliffs, buildings or bridges, always comes with an atmosphere of nervous excitement, but this time the stakes were higher than ever before.

1:44.0

Cliff diving had long been at the obscure end of extreme sports, a pursuit for thrill seekers with day jobs.

1:51.0

Now, the energy drink company Red Bull was launching what it called a cliff diving world series, with eight events scheduled across the summer that would attract hundreds of thousands of spectators.

2:03.0

Here was a chance at fame, and if not fortune, for the very best of the divers, a modest living.

2:15.0

In traditional pool diving, the highest event is the 10 meter platform, and even Olympic divers can find the height unsettling.

2:23.0

In La Rochelle, the organizers heard a fixed a short platform to the ramparts of the medieval San Nicolas Tower, 26 meters above the frigid sea, as high as an eight-story building.

2:35.0

In their three seconds of flight, the divers would reach speeds of more than 50 miles per hour.

2:41.0

At that speed, a headfirst entry is too dangerous. They would need to break the water with their feet, trying to make as little splash as possible.

2:50.0

In each of their three competitive jumps, the divers could take off facing forwards, backwards, or most terrifyingly, from a handstand position.

3:00.0

As they fell, they would do as many twists and summer salts as they dared in order to impress the judges before hitting the sea.

3:07.0

Make a mistake, and it was like you'd run full speed into a wall, as the Colombian Orlando Duque, the favourite to win the new series, explained at the time.

3:19.0

The Duke, as he was known, was 34 charismatic and handsome, with a long ponytail that trailed behind him as he flew.

3:28.0

His main rivals were veteran high divers who'd come from as far as Australia, Russia, and the US.

3:34.0

There were a few novices too, including one from England.

3:39.0

Gary Hunt was 24 skinny and pale.

3:43.0

He was still so inexperienced from such heights that he wore two pairs of speedos for extra protection.

...

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