The now legendary competition was held from April 30 to May 10, 2017, in Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas. Three French athletes took part in this meeting, which they had already participated in: in 2016 Stéphane Tourreau finished third in the constant weight event by reaching -101 meters. Morgan Bourc’his, on the other hand, broke the European record in 2012 with a dive at 88 meters depth in the CNF category (see below).Aurore Asso, Stéphane Tourreau, Morgan Bourc’his, these are the names of the three French participants in Vertical Blue, 10 days of intense competition opening the 2017 freediving season. While the first two were already present last year, Morgan Bourc’his was making his big return: « It’s a big competition, outside the world championships. I knew I would participate again someday. This year marks the 10th edition, an emblematic date that seemed like the perfect moment to return! » he explained to us.
A legendary placeDuring this competition, athletes dive into Dean’s Blue Hole, considered by many freedivers as the most beautiful destination to practice their discipline: according to Stéphane Tourreau, «when you dive into this blue hole, you very quickly find yourself in complete darkness, it’s a true moment of introspection, stronger, more powerful than a dive in the sea or a lake.» A feeling shared by Morgan Bourc’his who recalls his dive as a «very special moment, with a pleasant sense of containment, of confinement. » Located at the edge of a sandy beach, this warm and calm natural saltwater pool reaches a depth of 203 meters. There’s no need to take a boat to access it, here you swim a few strokes to find yourself above this bottomless blue.A very particular eventVertical Blue holds a very particular dimension for freedivers as it spans 10 days during which athletes have the opportunity to participate in one or more of the offered events. With the rare in-competition opportunity to make 6 attempts in total across the entire meeting in the following three disciplines:CWT : Constant Weight, a constant weight descent with a monofin. The freediver descends only through the strength of their legs and arms while swimming along a rope that they cannot touch.CNF : Constant No Fin, a descent under the same conditions as constant weight but without fins.FIM : Free Immersion, free immersion involves descending without propulsion aid, by pulling oneself along the rope.
Between competition and reunionsThis year, Stéphane Tourreau decided to focus on his progression rather than his performance during the constant weight event (CWT), the only one he participated in. Meanwhile, Morgan Bourc’his was also not looking to set a record but to consolidate his performances. However, he set himself a personal challenge by attempting all three disciplines: « I am a big fan of CNF but the big novelty for me will be free immersion, I can’t wait to see how it goes…».Results of Vertical Blue 2017And well… we saw it! Not only Morgan Bourc’his finished third in his favorite event (CNF) with a dive to -88 meters, but he also surprised everyone in free immersion (FIM), a discipline he was competing in for the first time, as he broke the French record with a dive to 104 meters deep! In constant weight (CWT), he reached 98 meters.
The other two French athletes also achieved very beautiful dives:
– Aurore Asso finished fifth in the women’s overall ranking with dives to 50 meters in CNF, 68 meters in CWT, and 65 meters in FIM.
– Stéphane Tourreau broke his personal record first at 105 meters depth, then, on the last day, he achieved the feat of reaching -107 meters, guaranteeing him fourth place in the ranking in his favorite discipline.Overall men’s podium :
1 – Alexey Molchanov (Russia)
2 – William Trubridge (New Zealand)
3 – Morgan Bourc’his (France)Overall women’s podium :
1 – Sayuri Kinoshita (Japan)
2 – Kate Middleton (New Zealand)
3 – Estrella Navarro Holm (Mexico)
Find all the results and the details of the performances day by day.
Margot Harty
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