German record holder: nine and a half minutes without air
The static discipline is attracting particular attention: „Heike Schwerdtner is competing in the women’s event, she is the reigning world champion and world record holder,“ says Hinkelmann. Her German record is around nine and a half minutes of holding her breath. This puts her well ahead of the German men’s record, which is just under eight minutes. The German distance record in the dynamic discipline without fins is currently 175.5 meters for men and 164 meters for women – more than three 50-meter lengths under water – without air.
There are 57 competitors registered this year, compared to just under 30 in 2023. „It’s definitely a growing sport,“ says Hinkelmann. In Chemnitz, the strong finswimming scene has developed into an apnea group over the past few years, which is now one of the top performers nationwide, according to the competition representative. The German Championships are being held for the seventh time this year – for the third time in Chemnitz. Apnoea is obviously not only popular with young people: in the Masters competition, which has been held for four years, athletes aged 50 and over compete against each other. The oldest competitor in Chemnitz is 80 years old.