From June 6 to June 12, 2016, the French freediving team was in Italy, where the world championships took place. With three gold medals, three silver medals, and most notably two world records, the French freedivers can be proud of their achievements. Dive in! revisits this competition with Olivier Elu, the new world champion in dynamic freediving without fins.Although the French were much fewer in number than in 2015, they did not disappoint, quite the contrary! Despite a few setbacks, including the disqualification of Arthur Guérin-Boëri in dynamic no fins freediving (DNF), the main takeaway was the world records set by two of the French athletes present in Lignano.
– Olivier Elu, despite the pressure, succeeded in reaching 189.65 meters in DNF. A remarkable performance he was expected to deliver: “It’s my second participation at the world championships, the first time I was an unknown, a challenger, and I won the silver medal. This year I was much more anticipated, which only added to the pressure.”
– Arthur Guérin-Boëri, on the other hand, delivered one of the most impressive performances in dynamic freediving with fins (DYN). The French freediver held his breath for 300 meters, a technical, athletic, and moral feat, but also “a very nice comeback after his disqualification in the previous event,” according to his compatriot Olivier Elu.
A beautiful sports momentWhile the French are known for being excellent freedivers, it was not necessarily expected that they would break world records in such a manner. Olivier Elu decided to take a strategic risk by announcing a distance of 175 meters. A very high announcement compared to the other competitors. This decision allowed him to go last but increased the already significant pressure: “I thought to myself, darn! if I don’t make it, I’ll be really embarrassed.” To manage the stress and push his concentration, he found a marker at the bottom of the water indicating the point to reach to come in first. The French athlete reflects on this moment: “In the first 50 meters I want to breathe, then it gets much better. I start to experience some difficulties at 150 meters. 175 meters… I still have enough energy to continue. And then I see the marker on the ground and there I understand…”Significant cohesion among the FrenchIt is well known that freediving is not just a physical effort, it is also and above all a mental challenge. And without support and the presence of teammates, it is difficult to push oneself to the limit. This atmosphere was felt when Olivier Elu relived Arthur Guérin-Boëri’s sports achievement: “It was fantastic, we all had tears in our eyes watching him advance, it was as if each member of the team had mentally pushed him a bit further. When he succeeded, I felt as much pleasure as if it had been me at the end of the fins.” Among the French freedivers, there was a great team spirit and strong cohesion. The other team members, his family, the camaraderie inspired by their coach, Christian Vogler, or the solidarity of Lyon freediving clubs, Olivier Elu knows all these people behind him played a role in his incredible performance: “Freediving is such a difficult discipline. If the support isn’t there, if there’s no one at the edge of the pool, you give up. I owe it to them for reaching so far.” A beautiful lesson in humility and solidarity from a French team that returned with hands full of medals.French rankings at the CMAS World Championships:– Arthur Guérin-Boëri gold medal and world record in dynamic freediving with fins (300 meters)
– Olivier Elu gold medal and world record in dynamic freediving without fins (189.65 meters)
– Vincent Mathieu gold medal in static apnea (8’40)
– Jean-Baptiste Savornin silver medal in static apnea (8’31)
– Magalie Siterre silver medal in static apnea (6’43)
– Kevin Provenzani silver medal and French record in 16x50m apnea (10’33)
Margot Harty