Kids coach Natalia Molchanova at 36 years old went through a nervous divorce and then start a new life and became a champion in the extreme sport.
World champion Alexey Molchanov in this academic year and started teaching freediving in Russian state University of physical culture. Here still remember the lessons his mother Natalia Vadimovna, legendary athletes, the first of the Russians who set several world records in extreme immersion.
It was called the Queen of freediving is diving without the use of auxiliary means. In one breath she was doing under the water that could not be anyone of the women. Descended to 101 meters in the depth of the sea, holding my breath for more than 9 minutes. Won every championship in which he participated.
A year ago, Natalie made the last dive and disappeared into the sea forever. The body was never found. Her mysterious death was similar to her amazing life: again no one understood how she did it.
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Husband left her at the end of the 90s. She worked the usual baby swimming coach in Volgograd. Three years of depression — and now she’s 39. Two teenage kids, salary in the minimum subsistence level.
Once in the magazine she found an article about freediving. Beautiful, interesting and unusual world. She read, as at a depth without air changing perception of the world. Hold my breath and feel the space, and eternity.
Natalia found the Moscow telephone number of the author, and the founder of freediving in Russia Julia Petrik. A month later, in may 2002, she flew to her basic course in the Egyptian Dahab, popular among freedivers all over the resort on the Red sea.
It soon became clear that this type of sport Molchanova phenomenal predisposition. A year later, she established the first two records of Russia, and for the next 13 years — 42 world record.
But it would remain a happy wife and would not recognize his main talent.
The first depth
She was three when her six-year-old sister Rina almost drowned in the Ural river. Their family lived in Ufa. After the incident, the parents sent both girls to the pool to learn to swim. In five years, Natasha dived there for the first time. And admired, as she starts to water, and on top there is a galactic spiral.
In elementary school, she is already easily crossed the pool in 25-meter breaststroke on a single breath. Similar to the diving sensations experienced in the mountains, at an altitude of 3500 meters, during childhood trips quietly climbed to where the instructor was dizzy. In both elements the lack of air was more attracted by her than scared.
One day, a mudslide washed away their mountaineering camp, and Natasha stopped loving the mountains. But there is a third class switched to a mode for two training sessions a day. In the senior classes decided to take up swimming professionally. After school a friend persuaded her to enroll together in the Volgograd Academy of physical culture. Parents were not against the girls went. In the city on the Volga it to 20 years toplevels to master of sport, but at the League level did not.
In the fifth year of the competition met with Oleg. He studied engineering, and swimming was just carried away. The love outweighed the desire to be an athlete, and Natalia got married. Given birth to in 1985, daughter, Oksana, and two years later, son Alex. From the decree went out to work as a coach for children.
Oksana took in his section in two years, Alex — three. Daughter in the pool, he missed, and son became interested. Imagine that you are floating scary toothy shark, and swam with all his strength, said Natalia. The motivation worked, and the winners received pens.
Top photo left Natalia and her older sister Rina. The other four children Natalie, Alex and Oksana.
Photos from the family archive Molchanov.
Natalia approached the development of children with sports tenacity. Sent them to other sports clubs, dance lessons, painting. Study at the best school, playing the violin. During journeys made with children sprint races to museums, theatres and Philharmonic societies.
Every summer they went to the Black sea. Took fins, mask and went on a wild beach, diving to look at fish and seaweed. The mother and son sank behind the conch shell and mussels. She always swam farther than any men in the company and raised from the depth of the largest crab.
Oleg until the collapse of the Soviet Union he worked as an engineer at a shipyard, and in the 90s went into business. In the education of children almost did not participate. Children are increasingly heard, “daddy at work”. And the moment when he became interested in a young woman and left home, did not notice.
Natalia was going through betrayal, no one is complaining. That divorce, sister and parents found out from the husband’s family. Natalia proudly refused from cash assistance the former spouse. After a divorce in 1998, he took any job on top of coaching to draw out alone two children.
Outwardly strong and brave, she spent three years in depression, until I read the journal and do not remember the galactic spiral, the mountains and the feeling of euphoria.
New life
Photos from the family archive Molchanov.
That summer, Alex was accepted to the class of swimming school of the Olympic reserve in St. Petersburg, Oksana went to College to study architecture. Natalia could afford a ten-day trip to basic freediving course in Egypt. There was surprised by all the rapid progress and at the end of the program dived to 40 meters — high, which reaches a rare beginner.
Instructor Julia Petrik was impressed and advised Natalia to do freediving seriously, which required moving to Moscow.
A year Molchanov moved to the capital, sitting a lecturer at the Department of extreme sports University of physical education and sport. At first living with friends and relatives, then in the faculty dormitory, then rented an apartment on “Petrovsko-Razumovsky”.
At the first professional competitions, the Open Cup of Moscow 2003, Natalia has set national records in two of the many disciplines of freediving. Swam under water on a single breath of 142 meters and hold their breath for 5 minutes, 39 seconds.
Amazed the organizers invited her to compete for the international prize of the magazine Freediver in Cyprus. Exactly a month Molchanov sailed 150 metres, equalling the world record.
So she became a star. Since then, all the Championships of Russia and the world won gold and updated records.
French newspaper calls Alexis and Natalia “Golden family.”
Photos from the family archive Molchanov.
After the first world championship, Natalie came back elated. It struck atypical for competitive sport atmosphere. Instead of the stiff competition she saw the friendliness and mutual support. Before diving, she broke the monofin, and lent his rival. Natalia ducked and took the first place, depriving the girl of a chance to win. But the resentment was not. On the contrary, after every competition, she has made new friends-divers.
After the mother’s son Alexei in St. Petersburg got interested in freediving. Slowly trained himself — swam in the pool with the breath, sometimes just stopped breathing in the street. Natalia remotely suggested that he could, although not particularly approve a dangerous hobby. The athlete inside her fought with her mother, wanting to protect his son from the risk.
In April 2004 Alexei arrived in Moscow newcomer to the national championship and immediately won it by putting a men’s national record — dived in the length of the fins to 158 metres. Then to dissuade his son from freediving was impossible. The son wanted to stay in the capital, and daughter Oksana that summer moved in with my mom, after transfer from the Volgograd University in Moscow. Family reunited — though in a Studio apartment.
From everyday discomfort Natalya distracted the teaching, training, Championships, practice again. She developed the curriculum and benefits of freediving, which in Russia just didn’t have it. Researching and writing a dissertation. In 2005 he founded the freediving Federation of Russia.
Son for several years became the absolute champion of Russia. They spent much time together, trained and put in competition new records, sometimes with a difference in half an hour. Although they had a different approach to training — Alex more time devoted to strength training and yoga, and mom has been training in the water. Said for training in diving you need to dive and not to swing on land.
The competition had to pay the mostly at their own expense. Single sponsors are rare. The main source of income was courses that Natalia and son were often together. Victory at the world Championships doesn’t earn you a lot of money freedivers — max will give an expensive watch.
If the freediver — to dive, the rest — the same dive, only more beautiful. In 2005, the mother and son came up with his adventure to swim through the arch. Near Dahab in Egypt is a legendary place — the Blue Hole. Vertical underwater cave of corals that goes down to 100 meters. At a depth of 56 meters, the cave connects with the sea Strait with a length of 25 meters. Overhanging the Strait of rocks called arch. Blue Hole also known as divers cemetery”.
But not a graveyard of divers, thought Natalia and Alex and came to Dahab. They were the first Russians, ponirovsky the arch on one breath. Natalia is still the only woman in the world, bronirovka the ark to breath. An adventure that leaves an aftertaste for many years, she said. Then twice repeated the achievement.
Playing freediving made Natalia more relaxed. She ceased to perceive life as dangerous. Beginning to write poetry. Using the technique of deconcentration of attention at all freed from any thoughts before diving. In the water learned to slow his heart rate. The main under water — not to worry and do everything gently, to conserve oxygen.
Age in freediving is not a hindrance. What Natalia didn’t know how in the 40 — mastered 45. And 50 was the best in the world.
Photos from the family archive Molchanov.
As a child, when swimming in the section measured the lung capacity, she was the biggest. Have Molchanova — champion in freediving spirometer was off the charts, stopping at a maximum level of 8 liters. The average lung capacity from 3.5 liters, men and 4.5. Athletes — 6-7.
Predivorce global community was amazed at the results Molchanova. The joke went: if you set a record — it’s just for 15 minutes, until he came to Natalia. It was called The Queen. While the charges and the disciples — mom.
In 2010 she defended her thesis on the physiology of freediving and began to work on a doctorate. After a year in Greece has dived into the fins to a depth of 101 meters. The dive took less than 4 minutes. Two years later at the world Championships in Belgrade set a record for breath-hold static — 9 minutes, 2 seconds.
From fans in that time she has exceeded our expectations. Someone was limited to flowers, someone wanted more, but Natalia this part of life is of little interest. The depth of Manila and its stronger men.
Photos from the family archive Molchanov.
The divers describe their status on the depth as close to narcotic. At a depth of about 50 meters is a phenomenon called blood shift — all the blood rushes from the extremities to the chest, preventing it from being crushed. Slows the heartbeat. At depths below 50 metres, the diver feels like in zero gravity.
In 2006 in Dahab Natalia almost died, having worked in the most dangerous discipline the dive with afterwards. Free diver drops to a depth of a special platform on the rope, followed by inflating the balloon which pushes the athlete to the surface. Molchanov dropped thus to a depth of 90 meters, but the container had a hose, it is not inflated. Natalia fussed with the hose and decided to pop up the “on foot” before it’s too late. At the surface she lost consciousness.
The consequences of immersion she had for three months suffered from headaches and vomiting, losing coordination. Decompression illness. In the clinic Burdenko had a scan and recommended urgent hospitalization. Instead, she went to rest in Croatia — not a dive, enjoyed the beach and the sea. After three months went to the world Cup and set up four new record.
The main danger in freediving — loss of consciousness, associated with decreasing oxygen content in the brain (hypoxia). This is called a blackout. It comes on suddenly when surfacing from depth. So insuring in the last 20 meters of ascent accompanied by a diver.
Last breath
Photos from the family archive Molchanov.
In July 2015, Natalia held another course in Croatia with Alex and Oksana. Then she was invited to organize a small private practice off the coast of Formentera island in Spain. The group of beginners, a small depth, not really a lot of work.
Saturday, August 1, the children put mom on a plane to Spain. Oksana flew to Moscow the next day, Alex remained in Croatia.
On Sunday Natalia and disciples went on a boat in the sea. Dived on the easy for yourself the depth of 40 meters. What went wrong under water, obviously no one will ever know. It could be a strong undertow or something. She surfaced unconscious 60 metres from the right place, and while the inexperienced team had suddenly disappeared back into the depths. If there was an experienced freediver, he would waste no time, swam to her. When a person POPs up unconscious, only need to hold his head above water until he comes to. Otherwise it sinks.
Natalia was looking for lifeguards. The son on the same day, flew to the place. The next morning he texted sister. Oksana had just left for work and on the way to the subway I thought about what mom had not responded to the message last night. In a stupor, turned around and went home. Brother told her to stay in Moscow not to come to Spain.
After two days of searching she was found dead, continued to search the body for another three days. In the end, Alex made the decision to leave my mother in the sea. She would have loved it.
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A month after her death in Limassol Cyprus hosted the next world Cup. First Molchanova. “To honour the most outstanding athletes in the history of freediving, I encourage everyone to hold their breath for one minute with me,” said the host at the opening. Thus was born a new ritual. Some of the freedivers during this minute there were tears.
On the big screen to the sounds of heartbeat succeeded each other pictures of Natalia. Then from the world Freiberga community Alex presented a banner with a quote from mother: “Freediving is not just a sport, but a way to understand who you are.”
After a few days Alex once again became world champion and set two new records.
