The CMAS World Championships took place this year in Roatan, Honduras with Esteban Darharnpe as the official organizer. This was the 2nd time the World Championship took place in Roatan as a break from Kas, Turkey.
The US National Team was strong in numbers and performance and marks the largest team that the US Freediving Federation has ever sent to the CMAS World Championships. “The first time I set eyes on a CMAS Championships in 2017, there was no US presence other than my spectatorship” said Jeremy Stephan, founder of the US Freediving Federation. “My goal was to create a Federation in the US that was respected internationally, provided US athletes with the opportunity to compete on the World stage and inspire others to follow.”
In 5 long but short years, the US has become a permanent installation with the CMAS International organization with their competition presence and support within the freediving community in the US.
The 2023 US National Team was made up by the following USFF members.
Lance Lee Davis, Team Captain
Jennifer Brant, Asst. Team Captain, CMAS Judge, Platform 3, World Championships
UNDER 50 SENIORS:
Allejandro Llinas
Marc Anop
Johnny Carabajal
Shaun Parrott
Enchante Gallardo
Alice Simons
Rachel Novak
Christina Sours
Natalie Bruce
OVER 50 MASTERS:
Alasdair Boyd
Matt Brown
Avi Kleyman
Enrique “Rick” Ortiz
Janine Cianciolo
Everyone had a great performance and definitely added some experience to their CV from this competition. In some cases, it was the first time a few had performed on the World stage. Of note, here are some new records that have been set during August 2023 which included the Carribean Cup and CMAS World Championships.
ENCHANTE GALLARDO (US Women's Seniors)
CWT 96m
FIM 86m
CNF 63m
LANCE LEE DAVIS (US Men's Seniors)
CNF 76m
MATT BROWN (US Men's Masters)
CWT 63m
AVI KLEYMAN (US Men's Masters)
FIM 69m
CWTB 64m
Thank you to BESTDIVE for supporting the US National Team as our wetsuit sponsor, and to Surf-fur for outfitting the team with Official Shirts, gear bags and Surf-furs. We appreciate your kindness and generosity!!
A big congratulations to everyone on the team, and MORE SO to the freediving community around the United States. Through your generosity and support, over $13,000 was raised which cover the competition fees and more for all US National Team member. We appreciate you and thank you so much!!
And a special congratulations to Enrique “Rick” Ortiz as he was competing in Roatan while the fires were ravaging Maui, Hawaii in August. As we know, freediving can be mental enough let alone adding this concern on top of things. We wish you well Rick as well as everyone else in Maui that was affected by this unfortunate experience.
If you are interested in competing, reach out to any of the US National Team so you can learn from their experience.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: US National Pool Championships to take place in Tampa, Florida in December. See this article here for more details and contact info for the organizers of the event.
Lastly, as I am sure everyone has heard by now, there has been a lot of talk about doping in connection with Freediving. The US Freediving Federation is firmly against doping of any sort and has just published its first policy outlining the organizations rules. As a member of the US Freediving Federation, you are bound by these rules as we work to keep the sport clean and fair for all.
You can read here a copy of the USFF Doping Policy.