RHIANNAN Iffland could never have imagined when she learned to dive at Lambton Pool that one day she'd be taking the plunge out of a helicopter into Sydney Harbour.
But that was all in a day's work for the six-time world champion on Wednesday as she promoted the Red Bull cliff-diving world series finale, to be held adjacent to Mrs Macquarie's Chair, in the Royal Botanical Gardens, on Saturday week.
The 31-year-old from Nord's Wharf, who spent her formative years training under the guidance of Hunter United Diving Academy coach Eric Brooker, secured her sixth consecutive Red Bull world title with a spectacular triumph in Italy last month.
It was her 29th victory from 36 events. Now, for the first time, she gets to showcase her skills in her own country.
"I'm super excited to stand up there in front of a home crowd," she said. "Knowing that I've already taken the world title, as well, the pressure's off a little bit.
"I just can't wait to enjoy this moment.
"The World Series final is in my own backyard, and it's going to be incredible."
Iffland described Wednesday's relatively straightforward single-somersault pike as "one of the most magical dives" of her career.
"It's been a dive I've wanted to achieve for these past six years or so, to dive out of a helicopter into Sydney Harbour, and now it's done, and I'm absolutely buzzing," she said.
She explained that jumping out of a helicopter, as opposed to launching herself from a 20-metre platform, added a whole new degree of difficulty.
"The mental preparation is the key and that's the focus," she said. "To dive out of a helicopter, it's always a completely different story to diving off a platform.
"The wind on the water makes it hard to tell, hard to gauge how high you are.
"And especially lining up for the entry, you can't exactly see. You've got the wind in your face, you've got all the different variables.
"I was most certainly nervous, there's no doubt about that. That never changes. But that just adds to it."
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