Constantin Popovici of Romania dives from 27.5 metres off the cliff at Lagen Island during the first competition day of the first stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in El Nido, Philippines on April 11, 2025. Dean Treml, Red Bull Content Pool

EL NIDO, Palawan -- The big guns immediately showed their intent on Day 1 of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in El Nido, with a former world champion taking the early lead in the men's division and a contender from last year showing the way in the women's side.

The competition opened at the Lagen Island -- a brand new dive site -- on Friday afternoon, with the athletes needing to first  traverse the face off the cliff to get to the narrow diving ledge.

Romania's Constantin Popovici, the Red Bull champion in 2023 and last year's runner-up, took top honors on Day 1 as he garnered a total score of 94.50 after an impressive leap that had a 3.5 degree of difficulty.

Popovici is looking to regain the crown amid a wide-open field, with defending men's champion Aidan Heslop of Great Britain missing this year's tilt due to a back injury.

"It was a good start," said Popovici, after three judges gave him a 9.0 score for his dive. "I've been working hard on my barani technique, and I hope to keep it up."

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The barani is a cliff diver's entry maneuver.

James Lichtenstein of the United States (89.25) and Carlos Gimeno of Spain (84.00) placed second and third, respectively. Their dives had the same level of difficulty as Popovici, but garnered lower scores from the judges.

In the women's division, Kaylea Arnett of the United States pulled ahead with a total score of 90.10 -- nosing out eight-time defending champion Rhiannan Iffland of Australia who tallied 88.40 points.

Arnett and Iffland performed the same dive, but the American got two 9.0s and an 8.5. Iffland got a 9.0 and two 8.5s from the judges.

Kaylea Arnett of the USA dives from 21.5 metres off the cliff at Lagen Island during the first competition day of the first stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in El Nido, Philippines on April 11, 2025. Romina Amato, Red Bull Content Pool

Arnett, 31, said she was emotional upon her arrival to the dive site, which required the competitors to utilize their climbing skills just to reach the launch point. The American was a rookie in 2024 and earned a permanent place in the lineup after finishing fifth.

"When I turned up to this location, I just started crying because of how beautiful it is — and I didn't feel nervous at all after that," said Arnett. "Climbing up that mountain is something else I've never done before – it was absolutely incredible."

Nelli Chukanivska of Ukraine took third place, as her dive with a 3.1 degree of difficulty got a score of 79.05. Filipino-Australian Xantheia Pennisi, a wild card this year but also the crowd favorite, is at eighth place with a score of 55.90.

The second round is set for early Saturday morning, with the divers this time navigating El Nido's Small Lagoon in search of higher scores.

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is making a comeback in El Nido for the first time since 2019, when the competition also opened at the iconic location.

For many of the divers, this is the first time that they are seeing action in the picturesque island. But Popovici, one of the top contenders in the men's division, placed second to Gary Hunt in 2019 and is determined to do himself one better this time around -- while also maximizing his time in the island paradise.

"When I was here last, six years ago, I was so focused on training and competition. I don't know when I'll get the chance to come back again and dive from the cliffs, so this time I took my time to enjoy it," he said.