Chengdu witnessed some underwater magic! Freediving reigned supreme as athletes from around the world battled in four events: dynamic with fins and dynamic without fins, for both men and women. These disciplines test how far you can swim horizontally on a single breath — with or without a monofin 🐠.
Teen sensation Long Dengxi, an 18-year-old para-athlete from the Chinese mainland, kicked off his weekend with gold in the men's dynamic without fins (FFS1-FFS2). Not stopping there, he returned on Monday to smash 181.5 meters in dynamic with fins, bagging his second gold. Silver went to Denmark's Casper Marti-Beckmann, and France's Alexandre Boscari took bronze.
"Winning two golds leaves me thrilled. Huge thanks to our coach for guiding us through every training challenge," Long said. "Next up: I want to beat my own training record!"
Meanwhile, Huang Jingqiu bounced back from Sunday's disqualification to claim gold in the women's dynamic without fins. Unfortunately, her teammates Huang Shiyu and Kong Tianci were ruled out for missing the surface protocol (athletes must touch their head at the surface to signal the end of their dive).
Poland's Mateusz Jan Malina, winner of Sunday's men's dynamic without fins, also completed a double by winning dynamic with fins. "My legs are very tight. I haven't fully recovered since yesterday," he laughed. "But I squeezed like a lemon and I'm satisfied!"
On the women's side with fins, Hungary's Zsofia Torocsik rewrote history, pushing the world record from 284.0 to 300.0 meters. Former record-holder Julia Malgorzata Kozerska and fellow Pole Magdalena Solich Talanda grabbed silver and bronze. "I still can't believe it. I trained hard every time, no matter the conditions. That's the key," Torocsik shared. 🙌
When the dust settled, the Chinese mainland topped the leaderboard with four golds, followed by Poland (3 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze) and Italy (2 golds, 2 silvers, 3 bronzes). These athletes are proof that limits are meant to be challenged — stay tuned for more epic feats at the World Games! 🌊
Reference(s):
China's Long Dengxi wins second freediving gold at Chengdu World Games
cgtn.com
