Defending World Aquatics World Champion Rhiannan Iffland is one of three Australian high diving athletes headed to the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan 2023.

Iffland’s World Aquatics World Championships victory in Korea in 2019 followed a gold medal performance at the 2017 World Championships in Hungary. As well as international opponents, the 31-year-old will face strong competition from her team mates, including Xantheia Pennisi who is aiming for her first World Championships podium.

Former national squad diver, Emily Chinnock, is no stranger to elite competition having partnered with Melissa Wu in the 10m synchronised platform at the 2019 World Championships. Chinnock is a newly qualified high diver and rounds out Australia’s three-strong contingent for the World Championships. 

Diving Australia Performance Director Steve Foley said the Australian cohort would be among the athletes to watch in Japan.

“Australia’s high divers have shown form in the lead-up to the World Championships and will set themselves strong expectations for this event,” Foley said.

“Rhiannan has won six consecutive Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series from 2016 to 2022 and is currently unbeaten at the midpoint of the 2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. She recently finished second at the World Aquatics High Diving World Cup in Florida.”

“Xantheia is knocking on the door at the podium having recently finished fourth at the World Cup qualifier, but with two third placings in this season’s Red Bull Cliff Diving Series, we hope this World Championships will be her time to shine.

“We also look forward to following Emily’s transition from the 10-metre to 20-metre platform, which has been remarkable since she only started high diving in February of 2023. We have no doubt our athletes will do Australia proud and we wish them the best of luck,” Foley concluded.

Competition for our Aussie athletes gets underway with preliminaries on Tuesday 25 July and the Final to be held on Wednesday 26 July.

Athletes will be supported by Joey Zuber Diving Australia’s High Diving expert / coach and fellow coaches Steve Black and Joel Rodriguez.

Photo credit: Eric Espada/World Aquatics