James Lichtenstein (USA) claimed men’s high diving gold at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 on Saturday, marking Team USA’s first gold medal across all disciplines in this edition of the championships.

The 30-year-old outperformed a 14-man field at Palawan Green, finishing with 428.90 points to secure the title in the final round. “It’s a huge honour. I’ve been training really hard for this,” said Lichtenstein, who made strategic changes to his training to stay fresh for the final day.

Spain’s Carlos Gimeno had led the standings throughout the event but stumbled in his final armstand dive, scoring a costly deduction to settle for silver with 425.30 points. “If you come down from the handstand, you get points out… that’s a huge penalty,” Lichtenstein said.

Constantin Popovici (ROU) completed the podium in third with 408.70 points. The competition marked the first time this format was used at a world championship, requiring divers to manage their energy and execution across multiple rounds. “I kind of paced myself… it’s amazing, incredible. A dream come true,” said Lichtenstein.

Now four years into his competitive high diving career, the American credited his growth to learning from legends in the sport. “I’ve been looking up to those guys for years… now we’re all friends. We’re competitors, but we’re friends.”

Lichtenstein also highlighted the bond among high divers as something unique. “We’re jumping from 27 metres… at any point, a small mistake can take you out. So there always needs to be that respect,” he said. “Hope people enjoyed the show.”