Amber Fillary set a new Gunness World Record for the furthest under-ice swim on 5 March in Norway. The total distance she swam was 90m in a total of two minutes and 25 seconds, breaking her previous world record of 70m.
After suffering for years with depression and addiction, Amber Fillary is now a motivational speaker who encourages others to overcome hardships and achieve their goals.
We caught up with Fillary and asked her a few questions about her experience and what it took to take on and conquer such a challenging goal.
What made you fall in love with freediving?
‘I have always liked the water and swimming. After watching the movie, The Big Blue, I knew I always wanted to be a freediver. On a diving trip to Egypt, someone suggested I do a freediving course and from then, the freediving journey began.’
You did a lot of your training in Egypt, why did you choose that destination?
‘I have trained in Cape Town and Egypt. In both places, I have a coach which is why I spend my time training there. A coach is needed as the sport is dangerous. Egypt is also where my freediving journey began.’
What does a typical day of training look like for you?
‘What I did when I was in Egypt, is over an hour of training in the gym and then an hour of pool training. Then I would relax. I also ran about four times a week, did a lot of reading and was disciplined about my eating.’
How did you deal with any negative thoughts that may have surfaced while training or before the big day?
‘I had a lot of negative thoughts questioning why I was doing it and so on, but I dealt with it by talking to people when the thoughts came up. I also just decided to keep on going and then the thoughts would lessen.’
You say in your blog that the first 60m are the most important to focus on to make the full distance, why is that?
‘This is often when the body would like to breathe the most, so getting past this point is the most challenging.’
What goes through your mind once you’re under the ice?
‘I just zone out and concentrate on the number of strokes I am doing.’
Keep updated on Amber Fillary by checking out her website, or donate to her crowdfunding page as Fillary has funded all of her records by herself and has no sponsor.
Pictures: Amber Fillary
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