Chipolina brings back bronze from Ibiza

Imagine going to Bali and ending up competing against World Record holders in freediving in Ibiza just weeks later and bringing back a bronze medal, even though you had never competed before.
This was exactly what happened to Gibraltarian freediver Dean Chipolina last week.
The local freediver has recently set up an association for freediving in Gibraltar where he aims to regulate the sport so that it has an authorities body ensuring divers are trained, coached and looked after.
His love for the sport took him to Bali, he explained where he met up with Alexey Mochanov, son of the late Natalia Molchanova, a 23-times world champion who held 41 world records who in August 2015 went missing off the coasts of Ibiza whilst giving private lessons.
Whilst training in freediving in Bali with Alexey Mochanov, a World Champion in the sport himself, Dean Chipolina impressed enough to receive an invite for the exclusive invitation only Molchanova Grand Prix which was scheduled for September 18-23 off the coast of Ibiza, Spain. The new freediving competition was organised in memory of the late Natalia Molchanova and was only for two disciplines, Constant Weight (CWT) and Constant Weight No Fins (CNF), with a total prize pool of 62,000 Euros/~US$72,000. The competition was held in accordance to the AIDA rules and saw competitors from across fifteen countries among which were record holders and world champions...(Pics by Daan Verhoeven) FULL STORY IN OUR PRINT AND E-EDITIONS