Gary Hunt: I intend to take gold in Kazan

– You ended up first in the preliminary round. Are you going to prove your leadership in the final?

– In the preliminaries, I showed my best result and my last dive, probably the most complicated one, was accessed by judges highly enough. It is not all what I am capable of, considering that it was the preliminary round. I think that I can do much better in the final. But regardless of the fcat that I performed at half my ability I still managed to place first and I’m happy about that.

– What do you think about your opponents?

– All my opponents are direct contenders for gold, we’ve known each other for a long time now and have been supporting each other. We closely follow each other’s dives and try to perform better dives. It is a healthy competition; it only contributes to our progress.

– Back then at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona you claimed silver in the first high diving event. Does it mean that these two years you’ve been improving your skills and we’ll see better results in Kazan?

– You are right. I claimed silver back then in Barcelona. Since then during months or even years I’ve been focused on hard tireless work. I’ve been working on my technique and was trying to improve my results. That’s why I intend to take gold in Kazan.

– How do you evaluate the organisation of the 16th FINA World Championships?

– Everything is great here! They have created every condition for us to show the best results.

– How much does fans’ support mean to you, personally? Can you hear them roar despite the wind?

– Sometimes we can’t hear the crowds down there because of the wind. But in fact I am very happy to see full stand; it is really great, when you are cheered for as it gives more confidence and strength.

– How much more dangerous is it to execute a high dive than a regular dive? 27 metres is a height that makes almost any dive from it potentially lethal.

– I agree. It is very dangerous to dive from a 27-metre high tower. You must be very focused when you execute all your actions. It’s scary to think about what can happen if somebody’s entry goes wrong because after all we fall down with a high speed. But all the athletes are professionals that’s why we try to execute our dives properly and without mistakes.

– Do you feel scared when you stand on a 27-metre high tower?

– I cannot say we are fearless and are not afraid of diving from such a height. But we try to push ourselves beyond our limits by suppressing our fears.

– What is your biggest fear?

– You probably think it’s height, but surprisingly, I have no difficulty diving from this height and I don’t feel overwhelmed with pre-dive fear. To tell the truth, I feel more scared when I look straight down from a high-rise balcony.

Press Office of Organising Committee for 16th FINA World Championships