The bigger competitions usually leave a large void when they are over. When I leave a place where my thoughts have been entirely devoted to freediving, it takes some time to readjust when coming home. This competition is no different. The experiences and impressions need to be absorbed and processed.

Three days when nothing is more important than the ability of performing complete relaxation and total body control…Where each action is conscious and preparatory to the forthcoming achievement.

Mentally still above the clouds

I am home in Gothenburg again. Physically I am home. Mentally, I have not let go of Riga. Not quite yet. Maybe I’m still in the air. Somewhere above the clouds where the sky is always clear. It is a reposition to come home. For more than three days I have only been breathing freediving. Three days when nothing is more important than the ability of performing complete relaxation and total body control, where the thoughts are clean and focused. Where each action is conscious and preparatory to the forthcoming achievement. Where the start of the performance is fixed within a lapse of time with the accuracy of seconds. This before the clock begins to tick and the body and mind challenged in a performance with no breath.

The atmosphere

I am struck by the positive energy and the friendship that exists between athletes, judges, safety divers, photographers… well, all people involved in this arrangement. I have experienced other competitions so full of focus and concentration that it felt like the tence energy made the air vibrate. This competition has been the same but still different. The focus and concentration was there but the atmosphere so joyful. The joyful energy from familiar faces, calm voices and deep breaths spread like soft waves through air and water, like massage for the soul.

…there are so many devoted and qualified women involved in making this arrangement possible…

My achievements

I have brought a happy feeling with me home to Sweden. In STA I did new PB, 6:27 minutes, 3^rd place. In DYN my dive was 181 meters, 2^nd place. In DNF I positioned in the 6^th place. In total, I got the silver medal with 223.4 points. It was 53.5 points after the gold medalist amazing Agnieszka Kalska and 25.4 points before the bronze medalist lovely Beci Ryan. I got one bronze medal, two silver medals and gifts of various free diving equipment. Joy, inspiration and glow is what I bring with me to the next competition that awaits. The Swedish Championships 2019, 30-31 March in Uppsala.
The picture below is from the competition’s award ceremony.

Joy & Respect

This year Riga Freediving Cup was arranged for the 10^th year in a row. The entire arrangement was, as last year, very well organized. For me, as an athlete, everything worked smoothly without any obstacles. These events don’t happen by themselves. There are several hours of planning behind this, probably more than one can imagine. The amazing organization payed attention to two athletes who was on the start list this year as well as the startlist ten years ago. Many athletes come again year after year. For me, this was the second time I participated and I’m already planning on being a part of this event again. I do find this event special in many ways. One thing that affects me more is the fact that there are so many devoted and qualified women involved in making this arrangement possible such as Yulia Maryevich and Irina Rainbow, Olga Zidorova, as well as our medic and devoted competitors such as Barbara Jeschke. This truly inspires me! Let us be in the front of the movement for equality, diversity, respect and tolerance for one another in every way.

Be kind to your self, be kind to others.

Nicole Edensbo, 2019-02-15
Gothenburg, Sweden