Before the race, swimmers secured their monofins (a single fin that attaches both of their feet together) and their cylinders of compressed atmospheric air. These cylinders are held right in front of each swimmer instead of breathing in above the surface of the water. Furthermore, as was explained by the commentator, “the use of oxygen-enriched mixtures is completely forbidden…”
At that point, they sat up on the starting blocks, clamping down on their breathing apparatuses, ready to jump in as soon as the starting beep sounded. The eight swimmers leaped forward cleanly into the water in unison, moving immediately into a fluid dolphin kick with slightly bent knees and uniformity of movement. It's essential that the push and pull of their fins is strong and even, as arms are not used in immersion finswimming.
Once their heads reached the turning T at the end of the first length, each swimmer went into a modified flip-turn: flipping head-first with the oxygen canister tucked into their core, whipping their legs over to meet the turning target on the pool wall, before rotating and pushing off into the next length of the pool.
(Read more: Estonian Life No. 42 2021 paber- and PDF/digi)
Written by Vincent Teetsov, Toronto
