FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

US Finishes in the Medals in Women’s Static Competition and Two New National Records Set in Dynamic No Fins at the 2007 AIDA Indoor Freediving World Championships.

The United States Apnea Association (USAA) is pleased to announce that four US athletes participated in the 2007 International Association for the Development of Apnea (AIDA) Indoor Individual Freediving World Championships.  The competition brought together the worlds best athletes to face off in individual competition to prove who is the best in the world at each specific indoor (pool) freediving discipline.  Static Apnea, Dynamic Apnea and Dynamic No Fins were contested. 

Jessica Wilson finished in the medals with a bronze in the static competition.  She qualified for the finals with a solid performance in the qualifying heat.  During the finals she faced off against a former world record holder, Lotta Ericson and the current world record holder, Natalia Molchinova.  Natalia broke her own world record with a time of 8:00.  This is the first medal for the US in individual world championship competition.  Deron Verbeck made the B Final in static and won it.  Ranking him fifth overall in performances, but placing him ninth in the competition. 

Deron Verbeck set a new US National Record in Dynamic No Fins with a mark of 117 meters beating Kevin Busscher’s mark of 111 meters.  Glen Garrett set a new US Masters Record in Dynamic No Fins with a mark of 114 meters.  All four US athletes performed with marks over 100 meters and all had personal bests.  Kevin Busscher achieved a distance of 116 meters and Jessica Wilson made 102 meters.  Two world records were set during this event.  Natalia advanced her own world record to 149 meters and Stig Severinson broke Tom Sietas’ pervious mark of 183 meters with a performance of 186 meters

Dynamic Apnea saw one US athlete making a personal best.  Deron Verbeck achieved a distance of 150 meters.  William Winram of Canada became the first man in North America to have an performance over 200 meters with a mark of 203 meters placing him third in the competition and winning a bronze medal.  Natalia broke her own world record of 200 meters with a mark of 205 meters.

Over 130 international athletes came together for eight days.  This competition saw some of the strongest performances in the history of freediving.  Well over forty new national records were set during the competition along with four new world records.  All of the athletes from the US were pleased to be able to be participate in the event and see old and new friends. 

Static apnea tests the athlete’s ability to hold their breath for time.  The athlete lays face down in the shallow end of a pool with a coach providing for safety signaling and timing.  Upon surfacing at the conclusion of their performance the athlete must perform a surface protocol by removing their facial equipment, signaling okay and saying, I am okay, to demonstrate he or she is in control of his or her performance.

Dynamic Apnea No Fins is performed by swimming without fins in a pool with the athlete holding their breath swimming as far as they can.  Distance is measured with the use of a metered tape measure.  The pool must be at least twenty-five meters long for the performance to be valid.

Dynamic Apnea is performed by swimming with fins in a pool with the athlete holding their breath swimming as far as they can.  Distance is measured with the use of a metered tape measure.  The pool must be at least twenty-five meters in length for the performance to be valid.

The 2007 AIDA Individual Depth World Championships is set for the end of October in Egypt.  The US will have athletes competing at this event as well.  Please visit http://www.sharmfreedivingworldchampionship.com/

The USAA is a nonprofit association founded on the democratic representation of freediving within the United States and internationally.  Founded in 2003, the USAA consists of an active membership dedicated to furthering freediving in the United States and abroad. For more information about the USAA, the U.S. National Freediving Team, and membership please visit www.usfreediving.org.

The International Association for the Development of Freediving, AIDA, is the international sanctioning body for freediving, individual and team competition, and freediving world record attempts.  For more information about AIDA please visit http://www.aida-international.org.  To view full results of the competition please visit http://en.wch2007.h2oteam.com/results2/

Contact Information:

Grant W. Graves, President
United States Apnea Association, USAA

3642 Seahorn Dr.
Malibu, CA 90265
Email: makog@aol.com
Phone: 310-560-6104

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