{"id":2155,"date":"2025-06-02T17:02:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T16:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/?p=2155"},"modified":"2025-06-05T17:24:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T16:24:15","slug":"leaps-of-faith-the-world-of-elite-cliff-diving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/06\/02\/leaps-of-faith-the-world-of-elite-cliff-diving\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0Leaps of faith: the world of elite cliff diving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From the circus to Red Bull\u2019s World Series Cliff Diving competition, St\u00e9phane Lapointe has devoted his career to coaching a high-stakes sport safely – and helping his athletes mentally prepare.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perched high on the edge of towering cliffs as waves crash and break below, cliff divers elegantly launch themselves into the open air, performing their routines with precision and grace before seamlessly landing in the water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the world of extreme sports, few challenges test the limits of human courage quite like this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a sport that demands more than just physical training, precision, and strength; it\u2019s a huge mental battle, and no one understands this better than St\u00e9phane Lapointe, the Canadian national team coach for high diving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven if you\u2019re comfortable doing your dives, once you get in the spot, to be able to stay present and do your dives the best you can do, whatever the conditions are, is a big mental challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lapointe coaches some of the world’s best cliff divers. His student Aidan Heslop won the 2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, becoming the youngest ever winner, while Molly Carlson and Simone Leathead – also coached by Lapointe – finished second and third respectively in the women’s division. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Simone Leathead (@simoneleathead)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n