The final day of the CMAS Depth World Championships in Greece saw the Gold Medal in the Constant Weight with Bifins (CWT-BF) discipline go to two women.
Ukraine’s Natalia Zharkova and Italy’s Alessia Zecchini each conducted flawless 105m/344ft dives, earning them both white cards and first place.
Spain’s Isabel Sanchez rounded out the podium by bringing home the bronze with a successful dive to 96m/315ft.
In an Instagram post, Zecchini wrote:
“Finally, after every mistake that taught me more than any victory, today the moment I had been waiting for has arrived.
“This World Championship gave me yet another lesson, which I carried with me into a wonderful dive – imperfect, yes, but truly special – that brought me the gold medal.”
Challenges
The day wasn’t without its challenges for other competitors, though, especially for those going beyond 90m/295ft.
Ukraine’s Kateryna Sadurska, who only days earlier had nabbed the gold medal in the Constant Weight No Fins (CNF) discipline, had set a target of 96m/315ft but wound up turning back at the 90m/295ft mark which wound up costing her a yellow card plus points and ending up in 11th place.
Turkiye’s Sahika Ercumen was gunning for a 94m/308ft dive but suffered a minor blackout upon surfacing and got a red card.
In an Instagram post, Ercumen thanked all who had supported her:
“Today, I did my best until the last second. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen… But I know this isn’t the end, it’s just an experience to prepare me for better, stronger.”
Age is Just a Number
In the Women’s Masters M1 (50+) age category, the UK’s Helena Bourdillon nabbed her third gold medal, despite declaring a depth of 68m/223ft and turning back at 65m/213ft. The USA’s Natsuko Saito brought home her second silver medal with a successful 48m/157ft dive, while Switzerland’s Andrea Blasi earned bronze with her 47m/154ft dive.
In the Men’s M1 category, Switzerland’s Christian Langer added to his medal tally with an 89m/292ft dive for the gold, while Greece’s Christos Papadopoulos earned silver with his 78m/256ft dive and Russia’s Vladislav Makhonin (competing as an independent athlete) nabbed the bronze with his 73m/240ft dive.
The Men’s M2 (60+) category saw Croatia’s Budimir Sobat earn gold with his 71m/233ft dive, while the USA’s Matthew Brown took home silver with his 69m/226ft dive and countryman Milton Drageset nabbed the bronze with his 66m/217ft dive.
Check out the full results below or watch the recaps of each competition day at cmas.org.
