STORY: China's Xu Tongtong eyes breakthrough in freediving career
DATELINE: Sept. 17, 2023
LENGTH: 00:07:11
LOCATION: Manila
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Xu Tongtong's 100m diving
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): XU TONGTONG, Chinese freediver
3. various of Xu Tongtong's diving training
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): XU TONGTONG, Chinese freediver
5. various of diving training
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): XU TONGTONG, Chinese freediver
7. various of freediving training base
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): LU QING, Owner of Freedive Superhome
9. various of coast views
10. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): XU TONGTONG, Chinese freediver

STORYLINE:

As one of the world's best freedivers, China's Xu Tongtong is looking to add new accolades to her record book.

This June, Xu dived 100 meters underwater without any breathing apparatus in both games of constant weight (CWT) and constant weight bi-fins (CWTB), becoming the world's third female freediver to pull off this "breathtaking" endeavor.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): XU TONGTONG, Chinese freediver
"Reaching the 100-meter mark is a personal milestone. As an athlete, I want to accomplish it, I want to snatch the 100-meter tag."

Freediving, originating from the Mediterranean region, is now gaining popularity across the world. Divers have to adjust their breathing through lung capacity to reach as far as possible.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): XU TONGTONG, Chinese freediver
"Freediving is unlike any other sport. It requires close attention to one's inner self. For me, it is a self-cultivation. I like the process when I prepare myself for the competition, how I discipline myself, including managing my sleep, my diet, my everyday tasks, etc. It makes me feel truly alive."

Xu was a career swimmer from east China's Anhui Province before becoming a freediver in 2014.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): XU TONGTONG, Chinese freediver
"Ten years ago, I saw a video of a person diving deep under the sea without any breathing equipment. It felt like the diver was flying in this three-dimensional space, which was so enthralling to me. Because I used to be a professional swimmer, I was accustomed to swimming horizontally, but freediving opened up a new three-dimensional world to me."

Xu is now training in Panglao, an island town in central Philippines' Bohol province, where she also works as a free-diving coach.

The good sea conditions and pleasant tropical weather have made Panglao one of the world's major free-diving hubs, with over 100 freedivers worldwide living in Panglao for daily training.

Lu Qing, a former ICT engineer from China, now runs the largest freediving training base on the island. He is also the organizer of multiple international competitions, including the Asian Freediving Cup.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): LU QING, Owner of Freedive Superhome 
"We can say with no exaggeration that Panglao is the capital of freediving in Asia. With its good sea conditions, geographical location, and convenient living conditions, more freedivers are coming in. To be honest, I intended to become a career freediver, but now I mainly focus on running the freediving center and organizing freediving competitions. Though I have no time to train because of that, I still take great pride in offering other athletes the services they need and helping them realize their dreams."

In May, 31-year-old Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini set a new world record for women's CWT in a competition in Panglao, pushing the limit to a depth of 123 meters.

Four years older than Zecchini, Xu says her goal is to surpass that record in 2024, but adds that this is more of a race against herself than others.

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): XU TONGTONG, Chinese freediver
"What's the limit of freediving? The answer is no limit. For me, I have always been competing against myself, breaking my own record. If you watch the game, you'll know, that when a freediver adjusts his or her breath ahead of the game, he or she feels like they were the only person in the world. I believe many high-level freedivers never compete against others. It just so happens that his or her record can be ranked among others. Next year, I want to dive 120 meters deep, or even break the world record (123m), but that's just a goal based on my training."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Manila.
(XHTV)