Alexey Molchanov: biography, family, achievements in sports, awards and photos

Freediving from English - "free dive". But this is not the usual scuba diving with oxygen cylinders - only breath-hold. How many people can not breathe under water? Medieval Greek papyri was told: ancient divers in the Peloponnesian War submarine capable of transmitting sensitive data, holding the breath for 5 minutes.

Japanese diver ama Korean Hen - pearl divers and other gifts could be under water up to two minutes, it was considered the limit of human capabilities. Alexei silence can not breathe underwater 8 minutes 33 seconds. Russian record belongs to his mother Natalia V. - 9 minutes. This unique family knows the sport community.

Alexey Molchanov - the best freediver: Master of Sports, a member of the prestigious club "200+" DYN and "100+" CWT, a multiple record holder and world champion, chairman of the SAF "Federation of Apnea", the first in Russia and the seventh in the world, who resigned depth of 100 meters. Another Alexey Molchanov - president of the international association judge MK, the absolute champion of Russia. Now occupies the top spot ranking of the strongest divers in the world.

Where are Ichthyander

Determining the fate of the points count date of birth (March 6, 1987, on a horoscope - Fish) and his mother - a swimming coach. She graduated from Volgograd Institute of Physical Education, took up diving speed, in 20 years has become a master of sports. But marriage, birth of a daughter, then - son made her not champion, and coach children in the pool.

In the biography of the period of childhood, youth Alexei nothing special. In the two years he was able to swim with flippers, three - for a sweet prize could swim 4 x 200 m Professional training began to four years, five years, he easily overcame kilometer track..

The love of water was added family trip to the Black Sea, where Alyosha was diving for shells, Rapanu, mussels, going to the bottom at 10 meters. But no one thought about the career of a swimmer. The boy went to a music school, played the violin, winter conquer the slopes on a snowboard, he mastered the unicycle, bike, chess was doing martial arts (taekwondo). select the time has come in 11 years, when combining all the enthusiasm has been difficult. He chose water sports, without pressure itself.

Perestroika youth

The family lived in St. Petersburg, Alexei studied at grammar school with an English bias, swimming with flippers. A dashing nineties head of the family, went into business, left her for another woman. Alex was about 11 years old. Natalia was going through this tragedy for a long time.

In 2002, she decided to overcome depression with the help of freediving, casually reading the article. Lesha just took in the school of Olympic reserve, the daughter went to college. Ten-day course has totally changed its destiny. In 2003, she established the first Russian records, she was 40 years old.

The son would not leave, even though they lived in different cities, trained breath-hold yourself. Walking the streets stopped breathing, controlling the time and condition. My mother did not want his son to have chosen this path, but it prompted exercises remotely.

The swimmer who made the standards of the candidate for master of sports on conventional and high-speed swimming, had 16 years' real prospects. But the congress is still in high school at the international competition for the party plunging along the rope 30 meters, I made a choice. Graduated from high school, he moved to Moscow, where my mother taught and engaged in freediving, went to university, got the profession of engineer and went to the free divers.

The first record

The very first dive in Cyprus was a spontaneous outburst, turning sinusitis and experiences. Upon returning to cure inflammation of the sinuses, the guy started to learn yoga breathing practices.

The first official competition in freediving Alexei Molchanov was in April of 2004. Debutant of the Czech Republic in 17 years the country has set a record in dynamic apnea -. 158 m Then there were the national achievements in free diving (66 m), with a weight (76 m), he became the undisputed champion of the Russian Federation annually.

The memoirs of the freediver Alexey Molchanov said that in the beginning to compete almost not ready, do not worry, is not training, just won. Conscious overclocking appeared in '21 in the pool - 250 meters on one breath. From deep career, he first trained with my mother, and then found his approach to coaching. He laid emphasis on strength training and yoga. She thought for training dives need to dive, and not to swing on land, but the son did not interfere.

As a cornucopia

In freediving - six disciplines. The diver has excellent results in all. Today he is - the author of seven world records, 46-minute records of Russia, world champion. In the piggy bank awards - three bronze medals, four silver and 7 gold medals. His personal achievements are as follows:

• static breath holding (apnea) - 8 minutes 33 seconds;
• diving in length with flippers - 285 m;
• in length without fins - 195 m;
• in depth fins with constant weight - 130 m;
• in depth without fins with a constant weight - 96 m;
• a dive on the rope -. 124 m

Strength Tests

Of course, life is never only pleasant. And training, and everyday issues added to her stress. He told me about a diver and underwater emergency, when a life rope entangled. One day, getting barotrauma, he lost coordination, circling around the cable on the ascent. Cage barely caught, lifted up, consciousness is turned off. Then a short recovery, and - the next achievement. Three years ago there was a tragedy in the family. August 2, 2015 during a dive to 30 meters around the island of Ibiza (Spain), hitting a strong current, went missing Natalia Vadimovna, freediving great queen, super woman, mother and coach Alexei. It has been confirmed dead, because the body is not found. Stop the search, he said:

- It seems that it will remain in the sea. She would have liked that option.

Mediterranean Sea did not put away his queen. Soon Cyprus athletes commemorated diver minute apnea, it has become a ritual. A few days later Alexey Molchanov became the champion and world champion. On the assumption that this dive he devoted mother, Champion said that he dedicates his entire career to it. Each dive - it is before your eyes. He could not leave the thing on which she has worked all his life.

It is not clear how things stand at the record holder on the personal front. In 2009, he became interested in Canadian fridayvershey, in 2012, he lived in two countries. Now he spends several months in Moscow, and the rest - at competitions, training courses. About the wife and children of nowhere is not a word.

The sea gives weightless

According to Alexei, freediving is not extreme, but the lazy sports, because in it the main thing - the ability to relax. Less exercise, more oxygen is deeper nyrnesh. Unique view, with extreme control and suppression of adrenaline. There is a sense of euphoria from the beauty of the underwater kingdom, the feeling of weightlessness, but should not be stuffing adrenaline.

But then what emotions to describe their transition through the Blue Hole in Egypt, the vertical cave 100 meters under water, referred to only as "the graveyard of divers"? Here killed more of them than in the Red Sea. The wetsuits with monofin they looked like big fish that live in the cave. To pass the Blue hole, it took about three minutes to breathe. For both it is not difficult.

But the emotion was received much. Molchanov were the only Russians floated this portion in one go. Natalia - and now the only woman to make this dive three times.

Another Record!

Another world record Alexei Molchanov broke his own previous. On the anniversary competition Vertical Blue-2018 Bahamas, Russian, for 3 minutes. 55 sec. He plunged into the salty depths of 130 meters, the height sorokaetazhnogo home, and came back in one breath. Pressure on the body - 14 atmospheres, it is impossible to imagine, but it was! Today, the world is not equal to him.

Talking about the beauty of the underwater abyss, it turns into a romance. In its depths it is not only fish, but also submerged trees, clouds, elephants. As part of its zero-gravity plunges it compares with the movements of astronauts. For him, water - work and leisure, fear and delight. But no matter how free he felt himself neither in the underwater world, constantly reiterated at the briefing newcomers: a diver in the sea a guest and not the host.