Kategorie: News
New records established
The German branch of the internationally renowned freediving association AIDA had to put its members off for two years: the test of strength in air holding and distance diving without breathing air was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to a pandemic. But on 3 and 4 December this year, the time had come again. A total of 34 participants competed in various disciplines. Despite the three-year break, some records were broken.
Four different disciplines on two days
On the first day of the championships, the athletes competed against each other in the disciplines without fins in the Leipzig University Swimming Hall. In the static discipline, the aim was to hold one's breath with the face under water for as long as possible. Here, athlete Heike Schwerdtner managed to break the German women's record - with an impressive 08:13 min without holding her breath. She also outdid the male first-place finisher Patrick Thümmler (07:07 min).
In the subsequent distance diving without fins, Schwerdtner also had the best performance of the women with a distance of 130 metres. In the men's category, Jacek Polak dived 159 metres.
In addition to the German record in static, a foreign record in distance diving without fins was also broken on the first day. The Tunisian Slim Tabka surpassed the existing record of his home country by a whole eight metres with a dive distance of 73 metres.
Not only German records were broken
On the second day, the athletes put on their fins. Equipped with long fins or the monofin, the athletes showed enormous endurance and discipline under water. They also broke the 200-metre mark. With the monofin, Klaus Kasten achieved the longest distance of the German Championships with 210 metres, while Heike Schwerdtner was once again the best performer in the women's category with 200 metres.
Their colleagues with the long double fins could not quite hold a candle to them. Jacek Polak still made it to first place in the men's event with 184 metres, and Anna Pischulti won the women's event with 141 metres.
German championships will be the usual thing again
Overall, organiser Martin Dubiel from the local freediving club in Leipzig was very satisfied with the sporting weekend: "For not being able to hold a German Championship for two years, it was really impressive."
From the board of AIDA there were announcements that will make the athletes and apnoea divers in Germany very happy: "At the moment we are already discussing the date of the next German Championships," announces chairman Michael Nedwed. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of AIDA Deutschland e.V., there will also be a depth championship again in 2023.