I started diving when I was 14 and my mum was not particularly happy about it… At first I was training in Vienna at the Amaliebad pool and in a few months I was the best in my group. I was jumping from a highdiving platform and in half a year I was trying double somersault. But then some health issues occured \u2013 I suffered from an ear drum rupture and had to give up highdiving for a couple of months. I became the Austrian champion in the youth category at the age of 17 and at 19 I was the Austrian champion on the 10m platform.<\/p>\n
What do you consider your greatest success?<\/strong><\/p>\n My career peak came in 1974 when I almost passed the limit for the European Championship. But unfortunately, the marks were influenced by a referee who didn\u2019t particularly like me, I think… Anyway, other achievements came afterwards – in 1977 I was the champion of the Bodam Lake region and in 1987 I won the Swiss platform diving Championships. Many times I placed 2nd in the Elite category of platform diving and I placed 1st at lots of senior competitions – jumping from various heights. Since the 90s I had been placing well at the Swiss Cliff Diving Cup in the Maggia valley.<\/p>\n Have you ever had any highdiving idol? Who was that and why? <\/strong><\/p>\n Luganis and Sautin were the best divers in the world and I was admiring them, of course. But actually I didn\u2019t really think of them as my idols. They were too good for that… But I was definitely inspired by their style. Later on I worked as an official at big highdiving competitions in Austria and there I met Russian and American divers who were showing something unbelievable. I was quite sorry back then that I hadn\u2019t started highdiving earlier…<\/p>\n You are 72 and still actively competing. How do you keep fit and how often do you train? <\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, it\u2019s true, I still compete and I keep fit! Highdiving motivates me to do some stamina training and I have one other hobby and that\u2019s paragliding. I took up paragliding when I was 66 and I have got much better since. I have quite a low self-preservation instinct and I don\u2019t feel much fear and that has led to several complicated situations and minor crashes. But thanks to the fact that I am keeping myself in a good shape I have quickly recovered from that.<\/p>\n How often do you train jumping in particular? <\/strong><\/p>\n During winter months I train at least twice a week in a gym and in an indoor pool, of course. With the arrival of summer my training becomes much more varied and I train every other day. I had started jumping from 10m platform again and this year I attended the Swiss Highdiving Championship \u2013 they finally introduced the senior category so I was jumping from 16 meters.<\/p>\n Has highdiving changed since the years you started?<\/strong><\/p>\n Highdiving is more athletic and acrobatic nowadays. In 1977 my most difficult jumps from a 3m platforms were three and a half somersaults forward and two and a half backwards. That wouldn\u2019t be enough even for qualifications at international competitions now. The style of highdiving has been shaped a lot by the Chinese who go through extremely tough trainings. \u00a0I am happy that for me jumping has always been fun.<\/p>\n It is Highjump\u2019s 20th anniversary this year \u2013 do you remember your first Highjump? <\/strong><\/p>\n Since 1995 I have attended the event in Maggia Valley (unless I had some injury) and there I also first heard about Highjump. In 2012 my son and I decided to go and see it ourselves and to compete, too. Surprisingly, Curdin Roseney won the 16m competition that year thanks to a dive he had never performed before. I am very excited that I can participate at Highjump \u2013 the support of the audience is incredible there.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the first thought you have when you hear \u201eHighjump\u201c?<\/strong><\/p>\n I am very happy that I can join the party, I love to live this way. It\u2019s true that trainings get more and more difficult every year but I like the challenge!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
![\"Sni\u0301mek](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.highjump.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Sni%CC%81mek-obrazovky-2019-07-29-v-14.59.32.png?ssl=1\" "\\"Sni\u0301mek")
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