Orlando Duque made it two wins out of two at the Cenote Ik Kil in Mexico as the Colombian confirmed his return to top form in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
The 36-year-old followed his success in the season opener on Rapa Nui with another, near faultless performance, which produced two 10s after he hit his third dive, a reverse double somersault with four twists, to take control of the contest having been tied with nearest rival Gary Hunt at the conclusion of rounds one and two.
Proof that practice makes perfect, Duque is reaping the rewards from what he believes was a transitional period in 2010.
“Last season was tough," said Duque. "I’d learned a couple of new dives, I had to struggle with them a little bit to make them work and get on the right side of the fine line between missing the dive and doing really well. In pre-season, I focused a lot on quality and it looks like it’s paying off. I’m feeling a lot, lot better than last year. I’m happy, man.”
Englishman Hunt, whose win here last year accelerated his charge towards the title in 2010, finished second, with Ukrainian veteran Slava Polyeshchuk flanking Duque on the other side of the podium.
The same three athletes occupy the top three spots in the championship, although Duque has now extended his lead over Hunt to 11 points.
Strong performances from Cyrille Oumedjkane, who missed out on third place by a mere 2.3 points, and Steven LoBue saw the duo claim their highest finishes in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, with a fourth and sixth place respectively, the latter in only his second World Series outing.
Mexican wildcard Jonatan Paredes could also be proud of his performance after his first appearance among the high diving elite produced a seventh-placed finish.
Next stop is Athens, Greece, on May 22, as the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series touches down in Europe for the first time in 2011. The competition will be webcast live on redbull.com/tv.
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