Filipino-Australian cliff diver Xantheia Pennisi clinched the Top 7 spot in the women’s finals of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series held for the first time in the Philippine island of Palawan.
The 20-year-old Pennisi was a wildcard entry to the adventure sport competition’s first-ever stop in the country and 2019 season opener – just behind the world’s 6 elite women divers.
Pennisi’s video of her practice high dive and emerging from the El Nido lagoon waters was the opening shot seen on the live broadcast of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series held on April 13.
Pennisi, the first diver of Filipino descent to compete in the World Series, is a rookie diver who debuted in the same series in 2018. She went on social media with a video of her dive saying, “No better place to do my first ever 21m cliff dive than in Palawan.”
“For me, this year is still about learning the sport of cliff diving,” says Pennisi in a World Series report. “I have only been cliff diving for less than a year, so I am focusing on doing consistent dives and getting high scores. I don’t have the biggest dives yet, but I am working on them. My goal is to place in the top 5 at all the competitions.”
Pennisi’s mentor, fellow Australian Rhiannan Iffland finished in first place. The divers continue on to 6 more stops around the world with two divers being awarded the titles in the finals to be staged in Spain.
Here is the Women’s final standings from the Philippine leg of the World Series:
1- Rhiannan Iffland AUS – 329.25pts.
2- Yana Nestsiarava BLR– 319.35
3- Lysanne Richard CAN – 309.70
4- Jessica Macaulay GBR – 304.55
5- Adriana Jimenez MEX – 292.55
6- Ginger Huber (W) USA – 249.30
7- Xantheia Pennisi (W) AUS – 209.30
8- Antonina Vyshyvanova (W) UKR – 208.65
9-Eleanor Townsend Smart USA – 179.90
Here is the live action video of Xantheia’s and all the cliff dives in Palawan:
Show Xantheia Pennisi your love in the comment section below and cheer her on as she journeys with the world’s best high divers on the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2019!
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