The final set of World Record dives have occurred at OriginECN Vertical Blue Freediving Competition, as Alessia Zecchini (Italy) and Hanako Hirose (Japan) battle it out for the ultimate prize of a World Record in Constant Weight (CWT) by diving to 107m.
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Zecchini was first up to dive, slicing through the water in her unique hands-up position throughout the dive. She reached depth easily, turned and then the long journey back up to the surface and glory. A clean surface protocol means she was the first to set a world record.
In a great moment of sportsmanship Hirose gave Alessia a hug after her dive as she then proceeds to start her breath up routine for her dive. Although these athletes compete for records many of them are close friends and cheer each other on.
Hirose slips into the water and just 5 minutes after Zecchini surfaced and starts her dive to 107m as well.
A smooth descent then saw her reach the bottom but struggled to reach the tag which ended up being a deeper dive than she planned after going under the bottom plate. The long ascent starts and around 12m Hirose seemed to run out of steam with a deep water blackout and was escorted to the surface by the safety team. After a short period of attention Hirose was awake and being checked out by the medics.
After the blackout by Hirose, Zecchini is now the clear winner of the battle for Constant Weight (CWT) battle with a clean 107m dive.
The athlete will now go through WADA Anti-Doping tests to allow the record to be made official.
Feature photo by Alex St-Jean
