Like many pioneers, Carlos Gimeno is one of a kind. He made his Red Bull World Series debut in 2014 and defied logic by jumping from 27 meters from a handstand. Work, sacrifice and bomb-proof mental strength led him to be crowned champion at one of the world tour events in Mostar, earning the right to become the first permanent Spanish diver to join the circuit.
Seeing the world from a height of 27 meters and risking your life by jumping into the void is something very few people can achieve. Carlos Gimeno’s path to becoming a permanent diver in the Red Bull World Series for next season has not been easy for the Gran Canary man who is now living his dream. «Previously there were no pools over 10 meters high, this has changed in recent years, because before you had to work in shows in different parts of the world; They gave the opportunity to jump from 27 meters and gradually you increased the difficulty of the jumps and when you reached the required level they invited you to compete in these races called cliff diving (high jump),” the island diver recalls of his debut in 2014.
The high jump discipline has developed so much in recent years that even junior championships are held for men jumping from 15 meters and women jumping from 10 meters.
United States, Canada, China and AustriaThese are the countries that have swimming pools prepared for training in such jumps. In the case of Madrid, they already have a 12-meter and a 15-meter platform, which “helps us prepare for tournaments, because you can split the jump into two parts and then join it,” Gimeno explains.
Preparation
Logically, the Gran Canaria diver explains, athletes who dedicate themselves to this discipline “cannot jump from 27 meters every day because it will cause your body to break.” “We usually train by jumping from lower heights like 3, 7, 12 or 15 metres, doing a lot of repetitions, and when a competition comes we usually arrive a week before and finish our homework there so we can come prepared,” Gimeno explains.
Gran says the demand is extreme and requires “daily physical and mental preparation, because you have to have a lot of precision in your jumping and movements, as you have to land perfectly in the water to take first place.” Canary.
“If you fall badly, you can kill yourself, so it’s normal for fear or nerves to arise before you jump,” he admits.
Behind each jump Carlos Gimeno accumulates “many exercises, many abdominal exercises, gym work” in the physical part, while in mental preparation he works hard on the topic of aspiration, I read many books to help me concentrate, I usually get up early I run to be active, healthy and healthy I do intermittent fasting for nutrition, these are all things that pushed me to become a Red Bull World Series champion»
Control and concentration are vital in a sports discipline where you risk your life with every jump. «Jumping from a height of 27 meters is equivalent to the ninth floor, and it does not matter whether it is water or not, because if you land badly you can die or get injured.So it’s normal to feel nervous and scared before jumping, but on the other handWhen what you do is a personal challenge and you do it well, the feeling comes later and is indescribable because when you work hard and everything goes well, you feel a feeling of enthusiasm and adrenaline that is difficult to explain, it is absolute happiness,” comments the Gran Canarian athlete.
Winning his first World Series in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) last Saturday made it one of the happiest days of his life. His success was largely due to his work with his coach Ramón Fumadó. His historic victory first Spaniard to achieve thisHe made his dream a reality and nine years later became a permanent diver in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
Unlike other minority sports disciplines, since his debut in 2014, Carlos Gimeno has managed to make a living from his passion without having to look for a job to pay the bills, with his famous unique handstand jump from a height of 27 meters. I’ve never seen.