Freediving is far from being the most popular sport in Russia. Competitions on it are extremely rarely shown on the central channels, so the mass audience does not know the great champions, people who show incredible results in breath holding and immersion depth. Few also have an idea about Alexei Molchanov. It is about this record holder that will be discussed in our article.
Biography
Alexey Molchanov was born in 1987 on March 6. The boy’s mom is one of the most titled athletes in the world among representatives of extreme sports - Natalia Molchanova. It is not surprising that under the guidance of his mother he already knew how to swim in flippers at the age of two years, and a year later he easily overcame two hundred meters in the pool.
Frequent trips to the sea contributed to the emergence of a new hobby of the future athlete - diving for raps to a depth of about 15 meters.
In addition to swimming, Alexey's parents sought to develop other child skills. The boy also attended the chess section, music school, martial arts club.
When the son reached the 17th birthday, the Molchanovs moved to Moscow, where there were more opportunities for professional improvement of Natalia. She was already a titled athlete by that time, set many records in freediving.
In 2004, an unofficial world championship was held in Cyprus, to which Alexei Molchanov went with his mother. Since then, the biography of the young man is connected with this particular sport, since there he made his first dive. As a result, having dived to too great a depth without proper preparation, Alexei developed sinus inflammation (frontal sinusitis). Health problems did not stop the future champion. He began to train actively, focusing on training on land. The athlete studied breathing practices in yoga.
Soon Molchanov faced a choice: a lawyer or a career in professional sports. Alexey chose the latter and does not regret it. In an interview with the press, he repeatedly noted how much he began to appreciate such trifles, such as, for example, a breath after a difficult prolonged dive.
Currently, the athlete not only performs at competitions, but also conducts active coaching activities. He spends most of his time in Canada and in Russia.
Competitions
From the first major start in 2004, Alexey Molchanov made himself known. Freediving in Russia still did not know the record of 158 meters. The athlete installed it in a dynamic apnea.
An athlete takes part in various championships every year. At the beginning of his career in 2004, Molchanov brilliantly performed at the Swedish Open Freediving Championship.
2005 was remembered by the athlete's fans for his high results at the Russian Championship, the first personal freediving world championship, and an international tournament in this sport.
Since then, Alexey Molchanov has taken part in more than a hundred major competitions, at each of which he set various records.
Highscores
One of the greatest freedivers of our time during his career has set more than 15 records in Russia. This happened at the championships of the Russian Federation and Sweden in 2004, the championship of our country in 2005, the personal world championship in the same year, the team championship of the planet in 2006, at the 3-11th personal world championships in freediving.
Alexey Molchanov is also the repeated champion of the planet in various categories. So, in 2008 in Italy, the athlete showed a fantastic result - 250 meters in dynamic apnea with flippers. Four years later, he set a world record in constant weight - 125 m. Six months later, the diver exceeded his own result by one meter. In 2013, Molchanov managed to beat this record by two meters.
Achievements
In addition to these records, Alexei Molchanov is one of three men who managed to dive through the famous Blue Arch. The athlete achieved this together with his mother.
Many achievements and established records made Molchanov an authority in the world of freediving. The athlete is an AIDA judge of the international category, he is often invited to major international tournaments in this role.
In addition to successful competitions, the diver graduated from MSTU and received an engineering degree.
Tragedy
Many athletes do not like to talk about the events of their private lives. No exception is Alexei Molchanov. The record holder’s personal life was until recently a secret. However, events happen in life that cannot be kept silent. In 2015, a terrible tragedy occurred in the family of the champion: his mother, the famous Natalya Molchanova, who set 41 world records, died.
The athlete made the usual dive without fins for 40 meters along with a group of divers. When everyone surfaced, Natalia was no longer among them. The search yielded no results; the “freediving queen,” as journalists called her, was declared dead.
Now Alexey has to set records for the two of them.