A few steps from the Debilly footbridge and with privileged views of the Eiffel Tower, the two jump platforms were installed from which the competitors of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series demonstrated their courage as they passed through Paris last month of June.
There, a few hours before the first round of jumps, we spoke with the Mexican Jonathan Paredes to review his preparation, his career, the challenges of his discipline and his link with the Swiss watch brand Mido.
About Preparing for Competitions
“The most important part of our preparation always takes place in the pool. Everything necessary is built there – physical, mental and diving preparation – to endure the entire season. The jumps are divided into two parts. The first is the most complicated and has to do with twists and turns; that one is joined by another one called ‘barani’, which is the final entry into the water, standing up and completely vertical”.
His way of relating to time
“Time is important in many ways in an athlete’s routine: it defines your active life, but it also represents how long it takes to prepare for each competition. All that preparation can be reduced to four three-second dives, that is, to 12 seconds. In the end, the time I spend on this is my life. It’s a nice, relative idea; all the time I spend on this relates to that platform.”
About his present as an athlete
“The fact that I am now going through a difficult time as a diver does not invalidate everything I have achieved in my career. Life is full of fears and fears. My personal advice is to dedicate ourselves to what we enjoy, that it does not feel like It’s just a job, because it’s the only way to survive.”
What do you enjoy most about traveling so much?
“I love to travel, get on a plane and disconnect from the world. Every time I know I have to take a flight, I am excited to have time for myself, to ask myself things, ask myself other things, make plans… Also the time I spend alone when traveling is something I value very much”.
The place where you are most excited to compete
“Bilbao has always been very special, since I have lived in Spain for a long time. My family and friends always come to see me.” “The year that Mido became an official sponsor of the Red Bull series, the brand team sought me out to be their ambassador. We’ve been working together for five years now.” Designed to perform feats on the water, the new Ocean Star Chronometer Black DLC offers an autonomy of up to 80 hours.
