Breakthrough Performance
He never had the title in mind – "at least not this year" – but Gary Hunt became a more serious threat with every podium finish in 2009.
After eight competitions, the Southampton-based diver proved that British diving does not start and end with Olympic diver and current world champion from the 10m platform, Tom Daley. He finished in second spot behind nine-times world champion Orlando Duque and was an ever-present in the top three. He was third in the season opener in France, in Holland and in Turkey, second in Croatia, Italy and Switzerland and first in Germany and Athens.
The 25-year-old has attempted a lot – he studied maths for two years, then changed to sports, before turning to criminology.
Unpredictable as he is, the Englishman is nevertheless the most progressive diver in the series. He always has a new dive in mind to use as a secret weapon. At the fifth stop in Antalya (TUR), he came up with a totally new dive. Consisting of a back triple somersault and four piked twists, it requires a minimum height of 26m – the series’ standard height – to be performed. A degree of difficulty of 6.3 qualifies it as the hardest manoeuvre in all diving, including the Olympic sport.
The title might not have been in his mind before the series’ start, but it was by the end. Which is why he came up with a new dive for the final in Athens. It secured him his second win, tying him with Duque, who was crowned champion by virtue of his three victories to Hunt's two. Gary got the taste for blood in 2009 and will want more this season.
