The New Zealand freediving team has returned from the freediving world championships in Aarhus, Denmark with a haul of medals that includes two gold, two silver and two bronze.
The two-yearly championship takes place over 5 days and includes the three pool-based freediving events: Static (timed breathhold), Dynamic (distance swum underwater) and Dynamic No Fins (distance without the assistance of fins). The depth disciplines are to be held later this year in a separate competition in the Bahamas.
The competition was attended by more than 200 athletes, mostly from European countries where the sport has a large following. New Zealand sent a team of five which included William Trubridge, Guy Brew, Kathryn McPhee, Kerian Hibbs, Chris Marshall and Suzy Osler.
Kathryn McPhee was the first New Zealander to compete, claiming a Bronze medal in her specialist No Fins event with a distance of 133m. McPhee also qualified for the final of the women’s Static, where she recorded a time of 6:58 to take the silver medal.
Guy Brew overcame a chest injury to qualify easily for the Men’s final in Static, before winning the event comfortably with a time of 8:46, well below his own national record of 9:03. This was the first gold medal won by a New Zealander at a world championship event.
“Wasn't sure how I'd go after my lung squeeze at the Nordic Deep competition, breathing was still painful during the early stages of the comp. For the qualifying static I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do 5 minutes, let alone qualify. After the STA heat, knowing my body was cooperating; the static final was relatively comfortable. I found a very deep place to visit and would have tried for a substantial PB if it were an ordinary comp.”
William Trubridge, world record holder and a specialist in the depth disciplines switched over to the pool for this competition and placed fourth in Dynamic No Fins with 174m. This was an exceptional result after just a brief period of training to adapt to the different pacing and technique required for this event.
The Women’s Dynamic final featured two New Zealanders: McPhee and Suzy Osler who has recently returned to the sport following a long layoff. Osler marked her comeback with an emphatic performance, taking the silver medal and becoming the first New Zealand woman and only the second woman in history to reach the 200m mark.
“Even though there was a lot of pressure I really enjoyed the dive and was able to think very clearly the whole way through. So, after my first international comp after 4 years away I have my national Dynamic record back and the honour of being noted as only the 2nd woman, ever, to swim 200m. It was a very enjoyable competition and I feel so happy to be back and competing in freediving again.”
A consistent all-rounder, McPhee was close behind at 194m to claim her third podium spot of the competition.
In the final event of the competition, the Men’s Dynamic, Brew brought home New Zealand’s second gold medal with a calculated swim of 232m. His main rival, Norwegian Bjarte Nygaard had pushed too far and after surfacing at 238m had required assistance from the safety divers, resulting in disqualification. Brew’s slow pacing allowed him to judge the situation and surface comfortably to take the top spot.
“Dynamic was a lot harder, as it always is for me. I had designs of trying to push out a World Record past 250m, but there was no way on the day, I was far too tired.”
The success of the small team marks a dramatic rise in the strength of New Zealand freediving over recent years. Several of the team have also qualified for the depth championships which will be contested next month at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas. The host and organiser for this event, Kiwi Will Trubridge is a hot favourite for the Constant Weight No Fins discipline which involves diving vertically without any equipment on a single breath. The World Record for this discipline was set by Will earlier this year at 88m.
