Australian wildcard Rhiannan Iffland has stormed to victory at the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series finale in Dubai, taking home the coveted King Kahekili Trophy.
The gutsy 25-year-old from Nords Wharf on the shore of Lake Macquarie in NSW proved too good for the competition.
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Rhiannan Iffland wins Dubai cliff diving event
Despite being a wildcard Australian Rhiannan Iffland is the 2016 Red Bull cliff diving champion after claiming five wins in seven events.
Even though she is a rookie, she recorded a set of spectacular dives.
"It hasn't really sunk in yet, so I guess after tomorrow the competition is finished then it'll really hit me," said Iffland, who also made the podium in every single event of this year's world series.
![Rhiannan Iffland dives from the 20.5-metre platform](/web/20161102105735im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/d/m/i/o/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsdqxb.png/1477812980215.jpg)
"I felt a little less stress on my shoulders and pulled the dives off and I am really happy. I feel over the moon right now," she said.
Competitors launch themselves into the air from heights of up to 30 metres - twice as high as an Olympic diving platform.
As an extreme sport, cliff diving is considered one of the most dangerous. Diving from such heights is potentially traumatic to the human body, and free-falling at speeds of up to 80km/h only compounds the incredible risks cliff divers face.
By far, the most dangerous part of cliff diving is entering the water. Divers can hit the water with an impact of up to five gs.
![Rhiannan Iffland after diving from the 20.5 metre platform on the Dubai Marina Pier 7 building during the Red Bull Cliff ...](/web/20161102105735im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/d/m/i/q/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsdqxb.png/1477812980215.jpg)
To put that into perspective, the maximum g-force NASA astronauts feel during a shuttle launch is about three.
Choosing to plummet down the face of a cliff comes with considerable risks.
![Rhiannan Iffland of Australia dives from the 20.5-metre platform on the Dubai Marina Pier 7 building during a training ...](/web/20161102105735im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/d/r/r/p/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsdqxb.png/1477812980215.jpg)
Earlier in the year, one of Iffland's competitors hit the water so hard she was rushed to hospital because she was coughing up blood.
Nonetheless, Iffland says she was unperturbed by the platform's staggering height.
![Rhiannan Iffland dives from the 21.5-metre platform during the eighth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in ...](/web/20161102105735im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/d/r/r/q/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsdqxb.png/1477812980215.jpg)
"I felt quite confident up the platform," she said. "You can't go out to the end of the platform thinking 'Oh, it's really dark.' That'd kind of [psych] yourself out, so I think that went quite in my favour and I felt quite comfortable today."
To be awarded top marks, a diver's execution must be flawless, their acrobatic-like manoeuvres in sync, and they must achieve a smooth transition into a vertical bodyline before entering the water.
![Rhiaannan Iffland waves to her parents before diving from the 21.5-metre platform during the Red Bull Cliff Diving World ...](/web/20161102105735im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/d/r/r/v/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsdqxb.png/1477812980215.jpg)
Iffland set an unreachable bar earlier in the year, notching up five victories and two podium finishes, making her the undisputed winner of the 2016 World Series.
The tournament, held at the Marina of Dubai, was the last of eight events on the Red Bull world circuit and the first night-time competition.
Iffland cruised to victory in Friday night's floodlit showdown, edging out fellow Aussie Helena Merten, and affirming her position as the sport's newest star.
The former cruise ship show diver entered the final with a 150-point lead, and quickly went on to show the 12,000-strong crowd why she is cliff diving's leading lady.
The Australians had a strong showing in the year's final event with Merten, the youngest permanent athlete in the field, finishing in second place ahead of Mexico's Adriana Jimenez
Iffland was one of two wildcard divers competing against six Red Bull contracted professionals.
California-based Andy Jones, a star Cirque du Soleil acrobat, soared to his first victory in the men's event.
Red Bull dubs its premier diving event as an "extreme sport" that "hit new and proven ground in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East".
Iffland was one of 21 competitors who took part in this year's gravity-defying diving series.
Rhiannan Iffland 🇦🇺 going out w/ a big bang as she wins again at #redbullcliffdiving @mydubai 🇦🇪 Watch all dives on @RedBullTV. pic.twitter.com/w9cojTUEJT
— Red Bull CliffDiving (@cliffdiving) October 28, 2016
Skyline high diving🏙
— Red Bull CliffDiving (@cliffdiving) October 27, 2016
Don't miss the first ever #redbullcliffdiving night event in Dubai! Live Friday 9.50PM GST at https://t.co/vUvFrRzXWA pic.twitter.com/3hAobPYb11
Rhiannan Iffland 🇦🇺 wins the 2016 #redbullcliffdiving World Series & takes home the King Kahekili Trophy 🏆https://t.co/vE0kzCHMk3
— Red Bull CliffDiving (@cliffdiving) October 27, 2016
From Wild Card to World Series Champion!!! Rhiannan Iffland 🇦🇺 wins the 2016 #redbullcliffdiving overall title. 💯 pic.twitter.com/FqGkEFJ8Hq
— Red Bull CliffDiving (@cliffdiving) October 27, 2016