Led by their coach, champion Stéphane Mifsud, the athletes will fly at the end of the month to Finland for the Aida indoor world championships. Dive in! attended one of their last training sessions.The pressure is slowly building in the Var pools for our four athletes. In less than two weeks, they’re heading to Finland and the city of Turku where the Aida world championships will be held. From June 25 to July 4, 2016, they will represent France in the different events of static and dynamic apneae. While Béatrice Del Negro and Régis Scarone are « veterans » of competition, for Alban Bullet and Anthony Carlhian this event is a brand new experience.
A team united around a demanding coachCoached by their trainer Stéphane Mifsud – the world record holder in static apnea and five-time world champion – the four athletes have been training tirelessly since January to best prepare for this competition. The goals set by the coach are clear: “They are all going to win, it’s obvious, they are aware of the importance of the event. But they are mainly going to surpass themselves. They must not return thinking they could have done better.” And there’s no question of betting on each one’s ranking chances. What matters above all is the personal performance, not that of the competitors for the title: “In this sport, we’re not fighting against others but against ourselves,” explains Stéphane Mifsud.The big family of freediversAlthough the world championships reward athletes individually, it should not be forgotten that apnea is practiced in pairs, and what stands out when attending a training session at the Hyères aquatic complex is a great cohesion and a family atmosphere. Béatrice Del Negro, who holds the French record for static apnea (7’04 in 2016) sums it up well: “Alone, we do nothing, it’s thanks to family, the club, and the coach that we’ve come this far. We give each other advice, we support and comfort each other when some are down.” The four freedivers will not be heading to Finland alone, as many club members and their respective families will accompany them to provide support.
Anthony Calhian, young protegé of the team and hope of French apneaIn this tight-knit atmosphere, Anthony Calhian is participating for the first time in the world championships. At only 20 years old, the team’s adopted son is the youngest Frenchman to take part in this competition. While his three companions compete in static apnea, he will dive alone into the pools for the dynamic apnea events with fins. Anthony trains every day and hopes to reach the finals in Turku. Meanwhile, he seems rather calm: “I love swimming and even though the training is intense and I aim for a good place, I intend to have fun above all.” In just three years of apnea, he has made impressive technical progress and the coach does not hold back praise for his young protegé: “He has huge potential but he doesn’t know it yet.”
95 athletes from 21 countries, including 18 French, will compete in the Aida world apnea championships in Finland. The four Hyérois freedivers, under the expert eye of Stéphane Mifsud, plan to give it their all to offer a great performance and, why not, come back with several medals. The coach is sure: “we could have a nice surprise at this event…”
Margot Harty
Find the video of the Hyères club training