Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series / LoBue Feature in Boca Life Magazine
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue diving alumni Steven LoBue and David Colturi once again clinched full-time spots on next year's Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series after finishing among the top 10 competitors this season.
LoBue (2004-07) finished fifth among the 25 men to compete on the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series this year, earning an automatic bid for next season. He was part of all nine tour stops in 2016, highlighted by runner-up finishes in Italy and Japan. Colturi (2008-10) finished ninth in the final standings to also earn a guaranteed spot on the 2017 Cliff Diving World Series.
Fellow alumnus Kyle Mitrione (2007-10) competed in five of the nine tour stops as a wildcard entry this year, finishing 14th in the final standings. He posted a pair of top-10 showings and should remain in the mix as a wildcard for next season.
All three Boilermakers have now competed on the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in some capacity since 2011. Together, they make up a large percentage of the USA's male representation on the international tour. Andy Jones, a Utah alumnus, also clinched a spot on the 2017 World Series. The divers on the tour compete from platforms as high as 28 meters (91 feet) in both metropolitan and exotic locales in Asia, Europe and North America. They enter the water feet first.
Colturi competed in the first seven stops of the 2016 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. He finished on the podium with a third-place showing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, his top performance of the year. This year's tour also featured competitions in Texas, Copenhagen, the Azores archipelago of the coast of Portugal, France, Wales and Dubai.
All three Boilermakers were also part of the 30th Marmeeting, which featured 15 divers competing for the Mediterranean Cup the first weekend of September in Italy. The Marmeeting is an annual celebration of art, music, cinema and culture held on Italy's Amalfi Coast. The high diving competition at The Marmeeting was a precursor to the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. Colturi and LoBue were among the competitors for the fifth consecutive year.
The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has grown tremendously since its inaugural 2009 campaign. A full-time women's tour was added in 2014 and the number of tour stops was increased to nine this year. All of competitions draw large crowds, especially those held in metropolitan locales. FS1 and the Fox Sport regional channels televise many of the competitions via tape delay in the U.S. throughout the summer. But it's the video highlights on the tour's social media channels that generate the most views and interest.
2016 RED BULL CLIFF DIVING WORLD SERIES STOP-BY-STOP FINISHES
| Steven LoBue 5th Overall (of 25) USA -- 11th Denmark -- 7th Portugal -- 8th France -- 7th Italy -- 2nd UK -- 6th Bosnia -- 4th Japan -- 2nd UAE -- 4th | David Colturi 9th Overall (of 25) USA -- 7th Denmark -- 4th Portugal -- 6th France -- 9th Italy -- 8th UK -- 9th Bosnia -- 3rd Japan -- DNC UAE -- DNC | Kyle Mitrione 14th Overall (of 25) USA -- 12th Denmark -- 13th Portugal -- 9th France -- DNC Italy -- DNC UK -- DNC Bosnia -- 13th Japan -- DNC UAE -- 10th |