Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The High Diving World Cup at Porto Flavia features the first two rounds on Saturday and the final two rounds on Sunday, with the overall winner determined by the highest cumulative score. The men's field includes four world champions: two-time world champion Gary Hunt (France), 2023 champion Constantin Popovici (Romania), 2024 champion Aidan Heslop (Great Britain), and reigning world champion James Lichtenstein (US). None of these champions reached the podium at the World Cup opener in Fort Lauderdale for reasons including injury and breaks. Catalin-Petru Preda, who won that event, is a strong contender at Porto Flavia as well.
In the women's competition, five-time world champion Rhiannan Iffland (Australia) is the favorite, despite skipping the opener. Other top contenders include Iris Schmidbauer (Germany), who won Fort Lauderdale; runner-up Molly Carlson (Canada), a two-time World Championship silver medalist; and Kaylea Arnett (US), the only diver to beat Iffland this season. Emerging talents such as Morgane Herculano (Switzerland) and Nelli Chukanivska (Ukraine) are also expected to contend.
With many athletes returning from injury or breaks and new talents rising, the Porto Flavia stop promises unpredictable competition and high-caliber performances in both men’s and women’s events.