New ZealandFreedivers William Trubridge, Dave Mullins and Ant Williams are one of the internationalteams competing for gold at the Freediving Team WorldChampionships, held in Sharm El Sheikh this week.
This selectedteam has been preparing for the event in the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba over the past week, following monthsof pool-based training in various locations. According to Joy Cottle, PublicRelations Co-ordinator for AIDA New Zealand, the competitors expect toughcompetition from the French and Czechoslovakian teams, both of which are headedby international stars in the sport. Freediving is a sporttraditionally dominated by the Europeans, however recent peformances bythe Kiwis, from the men’s and women’s side have shown huge competence and newworld and national records have been obtained. The New Zealandteam is determined to deliver outstanding performances across 10 days ofcompetition to hopefully secure the number one spot.
In the teamcompetition in Sharm El Sheikh, each athlete has to compete in threedisciplines: Constant Weight, Dynamic Apnea, and Static Apnea.
“Theguys are feeling very good about the event and are happy withtheir training so far which has given them some good results whileacclimatising to the heat and conditions in Egypt” writes Joy Cottle, whois also a Board member for AIDA NZ, the governing body for Freediving in NewZealand. “Our athletes are used to diving in temperatures muchcooler than what they are experiencing in Egypt at present. They typicallyprefer the warmer conditions; however the extreme heat means theymust make changes to their dive and preparation techniques. Dehydration isa critical issue that the athletes must take into consideration.”
The competition commences on Wednesday with the Constant Weight discipline.
