Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011: Orlando Duque Scores Two 10s In Mexico

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Mexico featured 27.25m of free fall from bright sunlight into a dark cave. Located in the northern Yucatán Peninsula, the well of sacrifice was attributed mystical powers by the Maya.

Colombia's Orlando Duque claimed his second victory at stop #2 of the 2011 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in the green Yucatán jungle. After dominating the first competition in Rapa Nui, Duque gave another outstanding performance in Mexico, receiving two 10s from the judges.

The root-covered sacred well in the eco-archaeological park of Cenote Ik Kil, Mexico, was the breathtakingly beautiful setting for the competition on April 10.

Last year's dominator, Gary Hunt, took second place and Slava Polyeshchuk from Ukraine followed in third with his first podium finish.

Tied after round one and tied after round two – the World Series champions in 2009 and 2010, Orlando Duque and Gary Hunt, battled hard in the first two heats. It was his reverse double somersault with four twists, which made the Colombian take the decisive lead in the third round.

With two 10s from the judges, the highest score for a single dive (156.60pts) was once again awarded to the 36-year-old, paving the way for the second win out of two.

“Last season was tough," explained Orlando Duque. "I’d learned a couple of new dives, I had to struggle with them a little bit to make them work and get on the right side of the fine line between missing the dive and doing really well. In pre-season, I focused a lot on quality and it looks like it’s paying off.”

Gary Hunt appeared more confident in Mexico than at the first stop in Rapa Nui.

"I’m happy to be on the podium again but second place is not as good as first place," said Hunt. "I felt in better shape and better form than in Rapa Nui so it’s going in the right direction. We’ve got five more stops left and I’ll give it my best shot to come back."

Due to last-minute flight complications, Artem Silchenko from Russia was absent from competition and lost his second place in the overall standings. His position has been taken by Hunt, with the 27-year-old Russian falling back to sixth.