Fil-Australian cliff diver Xantheia Pennisi and Ukrainian cliff diver Oleksiy Prygorov during the media day in Capas, Tarlac on April 1, 2025, ahead of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Championships 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- The world's elite cliff divers are looking forward to good weather and intense competition when the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series opens next week in El Nido, Palawan.

The extreme sport is returning to El Nido for the first time since 2019, when the opening leg was also held at the tourist destination.

"El Nido and the Philippines is a very special place," Ukrainian diver Oleksiy Prygorov said Tuesday at the New Clark City Aquatic Center. "I'm really excited to go there for the second time."

READ: El Nido to host opening leg of Cliff Diving World Series

Prygorov is one of 12 men who will jump from a 27-meter platform into deep waters, where they will perform acrobatic stunts. The Ukrainian placed 11th among 14 competitors when Red Bull first visited El Nido in 2019.

Meanwhile, Filipino-Australian diver Xantheia Pennisi is hoping to improve upon her performance from 2019, when she placed seventh among nine competitors in Palawan.

"Coming here again after four or five years, we know the location, we've been here before. I think just having it in my head, I can visualize a lot better because I know the cliffs that we're gonna dive off, the paths that we're on, and we know it's gonna be good weather," said Pennisi.

Pennisi, who was born in Australia but regularly visits the Philippines, reunited with her family at the Aquatic Center on Tuesday and is counting on their support when she competes in El Nido.

"It's special for me 'cause I have my family coming to watch me. And being able to represent both Australia and the Philippines is really special, and it always fuels me to perform better," she said.

Aside from pursuing the Red Bull title, Pennisi is also looking to raise the profile of their sport, noting that theirs is a small community.

"Being a part of Red Bull Cliff Diving is something very special because there is only about 40 people in the world who actually do the sport," she explained. 

"It's definitely growing. We're always supporting each other and helping each other even though we're competitors. I'm so lucky to be a part of a sport where everyone wants each other to get better and rise up," she added. 

"It definitely is growing, and we're really hoping for it to get to the Olympics, so fingers crossed."

Before they turn their full focus to El Nido for the competition, Pennisi and Prygorov first gave pointers to the members of the Philippine national diving team, who went to the New Clark City venue to learn from the elite athletes.

El Nido hosts the opening leg of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series from April 11-13. After the Philippines, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will head to Polignano A Mare in Italy on June 28 to 29; Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 5 to 6; and Boston in the USA on September 19 to 20.

The male divers will jump from a height of 27 meters, while the female divers will leap from 21 meters. The divers will hit speeds of about 85 kph before slicing into the waters.

The champions for the men's and women's divisions will earn the King Kahekili trophy at the end of the season.

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