At The Ruler of the Deep Competition, held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in late September, Molchanova first broke the 100m barrier in non-sled women’s freediving.
She descended to 101m in the sport’s Constant Weight (CWT) category, in which competitors descend and ascend by fin power.
Dolphin-kicking with a monofin, the usual technique used, Molchanova disappeared for 3min 50min before returning to the surface, mentally alert and a clear new record holder.
The dive beat Briton Sara Campbell’s record of 96m, set in May this year off the Bahamas’ Long Island. Campbell then attempted 100m but blacked out, disqualifying her attempt.
Two days after her 101m CWT dive, Molchanova dived to 90m in Free Immersion, in which divers pull down and back up the dive line. The dive beat her own record of 85m, set last year.
Molchanova, the sport’s outstanding female competitor, now holds the women’s world records in a remarkable six of freediving’s eight competition categories.
Molchanova’s other four records are:
CWT Without Fins, at 60m;
Dynamic With Fins, involving lengths of a swimming pool, at 214m;
Dynamic Without Fins, at 160m;
and Static Apnea, a pool-based breath hold, at 8min 23sec.
The sport’s remaining two categories are Variable Weight, in which divers descend by weighted sled and ascend under their own steam; and No Limit, involving a sled descent and ascent assisted by an inflatable device.
The women’s world records in both categories are held by Tanya Streeter, at 122m (VWT) and 160m (NLT).
The 2009 Individual AIDA World Championship will take place in the Bahamas from 25 November to 5 December.
In an interview with Molchanova after the 101m CWT dive, Campbell said that she looked forward to competing with the Russian, with an eye to pushing the women’s CWT world record even deeper.
Related links
101m dive on film (The Underwater Channel)
AIDA
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