A French extreme sportsman broke the world record for fatal dives (2 photos + 1 video)
French daredevil Come Girardot has set a new world record for Dods Diving, an original Norwegian style of death-defying diving. He jumped off a 44.3-metre cliff. 
22-year-old Frenchman Come Girardot jumped off the La Cimbarra waterfall near Aldeaquemada in central Spain in extremely windy conditions in an attempt to break the world record for Dods Diving, an original Norwegian style of diving. 
"Joining the 40 [meter] club has been my goal since I set my last world record at 36 meters, and after eight months of planning, with all the ups and downs, it finally happened," the Bordeaux native wrote on social media.
The fall from that height lasted just three seconds.
Girardot, who has been diving for five years, said the months leading up to his dive were "really intense," explaining that his training required him to dive every day to get his body used to the impact with the water.
The hardest part of the whole dive was the countdown before the jump, explaining how he had to deal with mental challenges as well as physical ones.
Also, there was a really strong gust of wind at the time, he said, explaining how it affected his concentration.
The previous world record for diving was set in August by Lucien Charlon of Switzerland, who jumped from a height of 41.7 meters.
Dods Diving differs from a regular high dive in that instead of jumping feet first into the water, divers spread their arms and legs wide during the jump, flying horizontally towards the water without doing any flips or rotations. Before diving, the diver curls into a fetal position to soften the impact.
In the extreme sport, judges consider four main criteria: the speed of the run-up, controlled flight with tricks, landing, where a more horizontal entry into the water brings more points, and the overall impression, where attention is paid to the smoothness of each jump.
