PLYMOUTH’S Aidan Heslop continued his impressive form since returning from a career-threatening back injury by winning the second round of the High Diving World Cup in Porto Flavia, Italy, on Sunday.
The 24-year-old claimed victory in the World Aquatics event by 24.30 points, edging out reigning world champion James Lichenstein of the USA.
Lichenstein really put the pressure on Heslop with an ultra-clean final dive, which earned him three nines, but Heslop finished with the hardest dive in the men’s contest – a forward quad with three-and-a-half twists. Its 6.2 degree of difficulty was enough to propel the Brit to victory.
The 2023 world champion Constantin Popovici of Romania was third, with the top three divers all surpassing 400 points.
The third and final leg of the World Cup will take place in November in Zhaoqing, China.
Heslop will now turn his attention back to trying to extend his advantage in the Red Bull Cliff Diving Series.
He currently has an eight -point lead at the top of the standings after three rounds, having won the opening event in Bali and taken second place in rounds two and three in St Petersburg, Florida, and Copenhagen, Denmark, respectively.
The fourth round will take place at the end of this month at the scenic Stari Most bridge in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina.