Singapore freediver sets new national record in women's bifin event

SINGAPORE: Singapore freediver Patricia Paige Ong set a new national record in the women’s bifin event at a competition in the Philippines last month.

The 32-year-old competed in the International Association for the Development of Apnea (AIDA) Panglao Pool Championship – Finale on Apr 23.

The competition, attended by many of Asia’s top-placed freedivers, “challenged competitors in four pool disciplines”, the Apnea Association of Singapore said on Thursday (May 26).

“The pool disciplines either judge the distance a diver is able to swim underwater, with or without fins, or the length of time they are able to hold their breath whilst submerged,” it said.

The Singaporean successfully dived 174m, breaking Elys Lai’s previous record of 166m in the Dynamic with Bifins discipline.

“This places her within 30m of the outright continental (Asia) record of 204m set by Jung A Kim of South Korea – a personal goal for Patricia in the near future,” added the association.

Ong's achievement comes just two years after she started freediving. 

“I've always loved being in water,” she said. “I've fantasised about being a mermaid since I was a child and also dreamed of being able to fly. When I realised it was actually possible to do some version of both those things, of course I had to find out more!”

After a year of diving for leisure, Ong started freediving competitively and has since competed in four AIDA competitions prior to the event in Panglao in Central Philippines.

Her coach Fu Xing Qiang said he was not surprised by her progress and recent record.

“Her swimming background meant she picked up the technique very fast and physically she was ready for 175m,” he added.

He noted that her challenges included overcoming the mental demands of a long dive during breath-hold. “We focused on mindfulness during training to help her focus on the moment rather than the target during the dive,” he said. “Once she’s focused, she can complete very long dives.”

Ong currently funds her own training and competition expenses, saying it is difficult for even top-level national freedivers to secure funding or sponsorships.

“I think freediving is not as popular a sport as swimming or tennis and therefore government organisations and private companies may not yet want to support,” she said.

“I haven’t asked for sponsors yet, but will need to start looking for some to support coming training and competitions.”

She is currently working as a swimming coach and part-time operations manager at the Molchanovs International freediving office in Singapore.

She schedules her practice time, as well as strength and cardio training, around her work and on weekends.

“I plan to train depth and also keep competing for pool ... testing my body to see how long, how far and how deep I can go,” she said.

Freediving has experienced a surge in interest and participation in Singapore, both as a competitive sport and a leisure activity, said the Apnea Association of Singapore (AAS), which helps regulate competitions nationally.

There are currently five active clubs providing training opportunities.

“Our athletes are capable of breaking more records, not only in Singapore but in (Southeast Asia) and the Asian continent,” said AAS president Afiza Affandi.

She noted that Singapore freediver Elys Lai, who holds four national records in pool disciplines, was selected to compete as a wildcard entry in the 2022 AIDA Individual World Championships in Burgas in Bulgaria.

“It goes to show that we have outstanding athletes and coaches here in Singapore,” she said.