(1 Jan 2010) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of bridge over River Tiber crowded with onlookers
2. People on riverside
3. Diver Giuseppe Palmulli posing for photographer
4. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Giuseppe Palmulli, 57, oldest diver:
"Really heartfelt wishes from Rome for the serenity and the tranquility for everyone. These are tough times for many."
5. People watching along riverside
6. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Marco Toscano, 17, youngest diver:
"Dives are always the same, the only thing that changes is the height, by 4 metres (compared to a pool competition dive). You have to adjust a little because the waters are muddy, but the one good thing is that the water is softer on entrance because it is flowing."
7. Wide of bridge
8. Divers lined up on balustrade popping a bottle of champagne and pouring it into the Tiber (part of the ritual)
9. People on bridge watching
10. Giuseppe Palmulli dives
11. Wide of bridge with man diving
12. People on riverside
13. Marco Toscano dives
14. Fire service dinghy retrieving divers
15. Wide of Tiber with people on canoes
STORYLINE
Four Italians have dived into the River Tiber in Rome from the Cavour Bridge, a height of more than 50 feet (17 metres).
The event is a New Year tradition dating back to 1946, when a lifeguard who was trying to find work leapt into the waters from the Cavour Bridge to advertise his skills.
Since then, it has caught on as an annual event.
Hundreds of people gathered to watch four men plunge from the bridge; the oldest was 57 year old Giuseppe Palmulli, the youngest, 17 year old Marco Toscano.
The stunt is regarded as dangerous, as the waters of the Tiber are cold and muddy and the river is not really deep enough for a dive from such a height.
The first man to carry out the stunt was known as Mr OK, an unemployed lifeguard who wanted to find work in the film industry.
wacky
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