Life of the party David Colturi has no regrets despite close shaves in high diving career
SINGAPORE – With his Maggi-noodles locks and infectious smile, David Colturi is one of the most recognisable faces in high diving.
The American's affable nature belies his eventful life, having started diving at just five years old before joining the circus in his 20s, when he set himself on fire for fire-diving performances.
Now 36, he admits that some might look at him and think that he is 'crazy', but he would not change a thing.
'It's been a wild ride,' he told The Straits Times at Sentosa's Palawan Green, where he is taking part in the World Aquatics Championships' (WCH) high diving competition from July 24 to 27.
'I think to the everyday person who looks at us jumping from 27 metres or higher and the stunts that I've done, most people are going to say, 'Crazy, would never do it'.
'But most of us in the sport are calculated risk takers. We don't go up there unless we know that we're going to be able to do what we do, and do it safely and do it again, again and again.
'It's a lifetime of dedication to training, physically, mentally, emotionally, being able to handle the pressure, the fear, all of it.
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'It's a lot of sacrifice and a lot of work. So, when I look back on my career, some crazy stuff absolutely, and I'm thankful for those moments.'
His devil-may-care attitude is what he brings to the sport but, with it also comes miscalculations. While paragliding over Lake Lucerne in Switzerland for a promotional stunt in 2018, he hit the water with such force that it caused him to rupture his spleen.
That led to internal bleeding, which could have had fatal consequences, had he not been taken to the hospital in time.
'Anybody that gets a near-death experience and a second chance at life is gonna have a perspective change,' Colturi added.
'Of course, I'm still going to make mistakes, and I get caught up in the pressures and the distractions of everyday noise... that stunt was crazy, and if I had the chance to do it again, I would...
'I'd maybe change a few things in the approach, but Red Bull Cliff Diving has done so much for us, and being able to be one of their star athletes and promote the sport in the ways that I did was an honour... I look back at all of it in appreciation.
'They're not failures, they're just lessons learnt... I have more than my fair share of wisdom, maybe a couple lessons learnt the hard way, but I'm happy to share those with my fellow divers .'
Colturi looks forward to helping the young get into the sport as he hopes they can 'build towards the Olympic Games'.
After completing the four preliminary rounds of the WCH men's 27m event at Sentosa on July 24 and 25, he scored 355.30 points to be 10th out of 23 competitors to qualify for round 5 on July 27. Only the top 14 advance.
Romania's Constantin Popovici topped the men's category with 452.30 points, ahead of Spain's Carlos Gimeno (450.65) and American James Lichtenstein (411.55).
While qualifying takes into account all four rounds, only points for the first and third rounds will be carried forward into round 5. This means Gimeno leads the pack, followed by Lichtenstein and Colturi.
Romania's Constantin Popovici qualified in first after four rounds of high diving.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Meanwhile, in the women's 20m, four-time world champion Rhiannan Iffland is the top qualifier with 351.40 points after four rounds. Canadian Molly Carlson finished second (322.80) ahead of American Kaylea Arnett (322.25).
Based on their first- and third-round scores, Australian Iffland will head into the final day on July 26 with the highest points, ahead of Canada's Simone Leathead and Mexico's Alejandra Aguilar Tovar.
Australia's Rhiannan Iffland in action during the Women's 20m platform Rounds 1-4 at the World Aquatics Championships on July 25.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Said Iffland: 'I would love to be holding that gold medal at the end of the event, but coming (here) and just being a part of my fifth world championships is an achievement in itself.
'So, regardless of tomorrow, I'm proud of what I've done. I try not to think about the end result too much while I'm diving.
'It's kind of a step-by-step thing, and with diving being such a fickle sport, you could miss one dive by a fraction and then there it's gone.'
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