Rhiannan Iffland celebrated her fifth consecutive title. © Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics

Fifth gold in a row: Iffland conjures up magic at a height of 20 meters

Australian high diver Rhiannan Iffland made history at the World Championships in Singapore. The 33-year-old bagged her fifth consecutive gold medal from a height of 20 meters.

July 26, 2025

From: never

"It's crazy, I'm completely overwhelmed, I'm a little lost for words right now," enthused Iffland after her historic triumph. "Ten years ago, I would never have imagined that I would one day hold my fifth medal in my hands." Even before Saturday's decisive round, the Australian had been in a class of her own, but in the fifth round, she decisively distanced herself from her competitors. Iffland performed the highest-scoring jump of the entire competition with a difficulty rating of 4,3, earning 105,35 points.

She remained untouchable in the final round, securing her fifth consecutive World Championship title with 359,25 points and a lead of 44,75 points. In the history of diving, there have only been three different women's world champions. Cesilie Carlton (USA) triumphed at the inaugural event in 2013, and her compatriot won two years later in Kazan. Since 2017, every title has gone to Iffland.

Kelly now youngest medalist

One of the day's standout moments came from 18-year-old Maya Kelly, who won bronze in her World Championship debut, becoming the youngest high diving medalist at a World Championship. "I'm just proud of myself—it was my first time, and I did the best dives I've ever done," she said after this historic victory.

Silver went to Canadian Simone Leathead. The 22-year-old also stood on a World Championship podium for the first time in her career. "I'm just proud of myself – it was my first time, and I showed the best jumps I've ever done," said Leathead. Elisa Cosetti, an Italian, also competed in the final, but the 23-year-old was 81,65 points behind the winner.