'Comedy Of Error': Australian Diver Falls From Platform While Imitating Gymnastics Backflip

Social media has been flooded with sports-related content since the commencement of the Paris Olympics. Many athletes have been offering a sneak peek into the Olympic Village and almost every post has gone viral. Australian high diver Rhiannan Iffland may not be featuring at the Summer Games this year but seems to be quite hyped about what’s going on at the mega event. The 32-year-old recently dropped a hilarious video on Instagram where she could be seen discussing the Paris Olympics with French diver Madeleine Bayon.

The clip was supposedly from a training session as the divers were captured sitting by a swimming pool inside an indoor stadium. Rhiannan Iffland was seated on the edge of the platform when she asked her fellow diver, “What’s been your favourite Olympic sport?”

Madeleine Bayon, who was warming up for a dive, quickly mentioned “gymnastics”. The reply prompted a funny reaction from Rhiannan, who said, “Like they do the backflips?” The seven-time World Series champions then tried to imitate the gymnastic move. She leaned a bit backwards to showcase her skills but couldn’t maintain her balance.

It led to an embarrassing moment as Rhiannan fell from the platform and went straight into the pool. Her coach Ramon Fumado, who was also present there, could not stop laughing as the Australian diver disappeared into the water. Highlighting the comical incident, Rhiannan wrote in the caption, “Thinking about what’s live tonight at Paris 2024 at all the wrong times.”

The video created much buzz online, having amassed more than 86 lakh views on Instagram. Joking about Rhiannan Iffland’s backflip, a viewer said, “Divers are just gymnasts that developed a passion for falling.” Another person admitted that her “heart stopped” when Rhiannan started falling from the platform. “Sweating just by looking at her sitting like that on the edge,” wrote a user.

Rhiannan Iffland is currently the most decorated athlete in the history of women’s cliff diving. Earlier in February, she became the first-ever high diver to secure four consecutive world titles. Rhiannan covered a deficit of 14.5 points in the last two rounds to achieve the feat in Doha. She logged a total score of 342, while Canada’s Molly Carlson clinched the second place with 320.70 points.