Valentina's challenge, freediving in the frozen lake of Anterselva
Under the ice, in apnea. To push one's limits, to challenge oneself. But also to send a message in defense of the environment.
From a (metaphorical, of course) decidedly unusual stage: in close contact with nature, in one of the most extreme environments possible, at 1,600 meters above sea level. She is Valentina Cafolla, a Croatian national: she plunged into Lake Anterselva, in the Italian Alps, while it was snowing outside. Water temperature: three degrees Celsius. And it was here that she regained the world record for freediving on ice: 140 meters with a single fin. Without oxygen or assistance. Valentina stayed underwater for one minute and forty seconds, her heart rate reaching 50 per minute. In the aftermath, as if that were not enough, the freediver also set a world record using a double fin, covering more than 80 meters.
A sporting feat, his, that also conveys an environmental message. Because the ice surface is also decreasing here, an effect of climate change:"I would like people to be more aware with respect to environmental pollution to the consequences of their behaviors, which also impact a mountain lake. - he told GQ Italy -We live in a world where resources are running out fast and I feel the urgency to do something, to use my voice as an athlete and my record to raise awareness."
Now the date is for the championships in Belgrade in July: the temperatures will be different.
