Doha, Qatar, February 13, 2024: Standing on top of the 27-metre platform, Korea’s Choi Byung-hwa is Asia’s lone representative - men and women - in the high diving competition of the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024.
And he is mighty proud of it, too.
“It’s a really great, great honour for me,” he said, after completing the first two rounds of the two-day, four-dive men’s 27m competition at Old Doha Port on Tuesday afternoon.
“Actually, you know I am the only one - Asian high diver - and I am really proud of that kind of meaning. I don’t have the acrobatic base; I am not a former professional diver or gymnast; I just started this sport at age 24. I came a really long way, really tough way.
“At the beginning of the diving, when I do the straight jumps from 20 or 25 metres, it takes many, many years – but I don’t quit.”
Choi, 32, stands in 20th place of 27 high divers after the first two rounds. Rounds three and four will be on Thursday.
Choi accepts that this non-Olympic Games sport of high diving is not a priority for the Korean Swimming Federation, as they have many top athletes in Olympic sports such as swimming and diving – or “indoor diving” as he refers to it.
He adds: “I am the only athlete, high diver, in South Korea. Also, there is no coach in my country, so I am here alone by myself everywhere – every training, every competition…everything I do by myself.”
But this does not concern him as he represents his country in Doha, and tries his best to put on a good show.
“I don’t think too much about the ranking of the game, it does not matter for me. It’s a really great honour to participate in this competition with the world’s greatest high divers. It’s a really great honour for me - I really love my life.”
This is his second world championships, after Fukuoka 2023, when he finished 23rd but he is happy with how things are going in Doha at the halfway stage.
“You know, as for now, at the end of my second round, I feel really satisfied. Last year in Fukuoka, my first competition, so I was really nervous about that. This time I am also nervous but I can have the confidence, I have just a little more growth mentally and physically.”
Asked why high diving is not popular in other Asian countries, he replies: “Actually I am not sure about other countries like Japan or China, I don’t know about that, but in my country we have many great 10-metre divers but they don’t want to do higher.
“Many times, I ask them but they said ‘hey, crazy, hey Choi, I don’t want to die!’ People think like that. People in my county, they don’t want to take some risk. Everybody thinks crazy things about this sport, that it’s too dangerous, so it’s really hard for me in one of the Asian countries, South Korea…doing high diving is a really tough way.”
The rewards are worth it, though, as he flies through the air and fulfills something inside him.
“I want to live my life what I want, I really want,” he adds. “I cannot earn much money for this but I feel alive right now. My English is bad – there are so many things in Korean in my head I want to say – but I want to live my life what I want, what I really want.”
To fund his high-diving career, Choi teaches swimming, life-saving and first aid in Seoul – to keep him on the top of the podium as Asia’s only high diver in Doha.
