Xantheia
Pennisi
Australia
·
Cliff Diving
Date of birth | 26 November 1998 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Brisbane |
Age | 27 |
Nationality | Australia |
Career start | 2018 |
Disciplines | Cliff Diving |
Owing mainly to mental struggles from the 21m platform in 2024, the previously progressive Australian found herself battling to reach the heights of previous seasons. Two 12th place finishes and no podium appearance for the first time in four seasons, ultimately led to the 26-year-old losing her permanent spot on the tour.
After making her Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series debut as a 19-year-old back in 2018, Xantheia Pennisi made steady progress before arriving at her breakthrough season in 2021, when the Australian finally secured her first place on the podium in Ireland, before repeating the feat just a few weeks later at the season finale in Polignano a Mare.
Half Filipino, the Brisbane born and bred is particularly proud to have been part of the line-up during the 2019 season opener in the Philippines, the first ever cliff diving event in the country.
Pennisi’s strong performances in 2021 paved the way to her first permanent World Series ticket, which she more than confirmed by adding two more podiums to her name in what was the most competitive season yet for the women, repeating her 4th overall.
That in the end she didn’t reach her overall goal of third place by a mere 22 points, did not dampen her joy about the season showdown in Sydney and being able to show her jaw-dropping sport to her whole family and friends.
Despite missing one stop in 2023, her dream of making the overall top three was finally realised, thanks to three 3rd place finishes and a 2nd place at the season finale in Auckland.
In a career that has already taken a few turns - from gymnast to traditional diving - it was cliff diving that sparked something in her. A show in Australia, together with Rhiannan Iffland was the beginning of it all; from 10m to 15m and 17m in 2017 and the first 20m dive in June 2018.
Having come so far, Pennisi will be hoping that 2024 was a blip. In fact, the signs at the end of last season were promising; after missing the Montreal stop and taking some time to switch up her dive list, she returned to grab sixth spot in Antalya before a confidence-boosting fourth-place finish on home soil at the season finale in Sydney.
In 2025, Pennisi will get the chance to once again show her best form, starting with a return to her roots at the Philippines season opener.