The Iceman
Born in 1964, the unassuming but steely Andrey Ignatenko is one of the most experienced divers at the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
The long journey began at the age of four when he started swimming before he moved to conventional diving when he was nine. Since then all his professional life has been dedicated to the sport he loves.
A national diving champion on more than 20 occasions in several different categories and overall champion of the former USSR in the three-metre springboard, Ignatenko was attracted to the world of cliff diving. He started working in diving shows in 1992 before attending his first competition in 1996.
In the 2009 edition of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Andrey won the first stage with an outstanding performance in La Rochelle. It was a key moment that revealed an insight into the athlete’s preparation. In his own words, "cliff diving is a highly mental sport and that’s why I don’t feel the need to practice like the others do. I do my homework really well and then focus all my energy on my first dive in the competition."
The 45-year-old’s season was something of a rollercoaster though – he finished first as well as 10th. Andrey came fourth in the overall rankings and feels strong enough to compete in the highest sphere of cliff diving for "at least" one or two more years.
