Molly Carlson, one of Red Bull’s most well-known cliff divers, has stunned fans after revealing she’s pulling out of the current competition following a terrifying fall from a 22-metre platform in Italy. The Canadian athlete and social media sensation, who boasts 4.5 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, shared the heart-stopping footage with fans over the weekend, calling it the “scariest moment of my life”.
The 26-year-old posted the video on Saturday, showing the moment she lost her footing while preparing to dive. In the clip, Molly approaches the edge of the towering platform, poised and balanced on her toes. But just as she jumps to initiate her dive, something goes wrong. She appears to misjudge the takeoff, slips off the edge, and plummets towards the ocean far below.
Miraculously, she manages to flip mid-air and enter the water feet first, a move she later credited to pure reflex. “I never imagined in my life that I would ever slip off of a high diving platform, but it happened,” she admitted in her caption, visibly shaken but grateful the outcome wasn’t worse.
“One of my nightmares came true,” she wrote, adding that as a result of the fall, she wouldn’t be continuing to the next stop in Red Bull’s cliff diving world series, reported the Daily Mail. It was a tough call for an elite athlete, but one that clearly prioritised her safety and long-term health.
“I’m SHOCKED at my reflex skills to find my feet like a cat and be okay,” she continued. While she escaped without serious injury, the dive did leave her with a nasty bruise on her foot. She went on to say she thought about pushing through and competing regardless, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth risking further damage. “It just wasn’t the right choice for my health,” she said.
The following day, Molly posted another clip from a different angle, this time in slow motion. It gives a clearer view of just how close the incident came to being a disaster. “This new angle of my near death experience is insane,” she said. Reflecting on what went wrong, she admitted, “This angle really helped me understand that my toes were already going to be past the platform when I landed because I didn’t measure my run up with 100% power. And then when I went for the dive I gave it 200% power.”
Despite everything, she reassured followers that she’s feeling okay overall and will take the experience as a learning moment. “I will definitely learn from this,” she said in her second post, adding that she’s already looking forward to returning to competition when she’s ready.
In true sportswoman spirit, Molly gave a shoutout to her fellow cliff divers, praising their performances and cheering them on even from the sidelines. “Can’t wait to be back up there with you,” she wrote with a heart emoji.