You need a tough backside and points are awarded for hiding your pain when you flop into the water — welcome to the weird world of “dive-bombing”, which held its world championships on Sunday.
The event, in a swimming pool in the western German town of Heilbronn on Sunday, actually only attracted competitors from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and The Netherlands, although organisers are convinced the “sport” is spreading fast.
Unlike Olympic diving, in which medals are awarded for slicing through the surface without so much as a ripple, the name of the game in dive-bombing is to make as much noise and spray as possible when you hit the water.
“The kids here are freaks. Dive-bombing is an extreme sport,” said the man who dreamed up the world championships, 36-year-old Oliver Schill.
Competitors had three attempts from the 10m board, including one classic backside-first dive and two freestyle attempts.
It looked painful — and it was.
The winner was Simon Gfeller, from the Swiss town of Muensingen, who produced a dive comprising four turns and then a spectacular landing on his face. He won extra points from the judges for hiding his discomfort.
A German dive-bombing coach, Helmut Huenerfauth, is convinced the new sport is here to stay.
“All over the place there are groups of people getting together who just want to get their backsides flayed,” he said. — AFP