The fourth edition of the French constant weight freediving championships will be held this weekend in the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer. For the occasion, Dive In! met Stéphane Tourreau in full preparation.On July 2, 33 freedivers will dive into the depths of the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer. Participants must choose one of the three descent disciplines (monofin, bifins, or no fins) for this event that involves diving deep along a cable using only their muscle strength. Among the athletes, we will see French divers Xavier Delpit, Vincent Mathieu, Stéphane Tourreau, and Patrick Poggi, champion of constant weight at the 2015 championships. As every year, Italian freedivers will also be present, including the world champion Ilaria Bonin.
Intense preparationStéphane Tourreau will be able to demonstrate his talents in the monofin diving event, his favorite discipline: “ Basically, we do freediving to dive deep and discover the underwater world. The sensations of gliding with the fin are indescribable! For someone like me, who has a particular affinity for the depths, it allows me to combine the two. » He has been preparing for the championships since April with very controlled training. » Generally, depth competitions extend between May and October, which leaves all winter to focus on physical and technical preparation. » He repeats dives at home in the lake, in Annecy, but also at sea. And with the competition approaching, he is getting closer and closer to his maximum attainable depths. A preparation both physical and mental is necessary to practice freediving at such a level, but which seems to leave Stéphane calm before these championships: “ I want to experience this competition with as much relaxation and pleasure as possible. »
The joy of diving and the desire to winStéphane Tourreau’s goals are simple for this weekend: “ First, perform a great dive with pleasure, next, qualify for the World Championships in Turkey, and finally bring back a title if everything goes well. » And while his performance at the 2015 championships was not validated due to a failed exit protocol, he is rather confident: “ I have learned a lot about my management before the performance. My progress this year allows me to be very confident for this championship. » Especially since he will make an announcement that he assures is very reasonable compared to the depths he can usually reach – he recently dived to -101 meters in the Bahamas and at Nice.
Margot Harty
Find Stéphane Tourreau in a new web series, « The Dolphins Heart ».
cover photo: ©Bill RhameySave
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