Hold your breath … Russian expatriate Andrey Kirichenko has found glory again by winning a unique underwater challenge for the second year running!
He plunged down deep in a high seas breath-holding competition and successfully endured remaining submerged for a staggering four minutes and 44 seconds.
“It’s a big pleasure and honour to be able to participate, as a non-Bahraini, in a competition related to Bahraini heritage,” Mr Kirichenko, a 36-year-old businessman told the GDN.
Mr Kirichenko
After taking the title in last year’s edition of the Shaikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Breath Holding Competition, on Friday he proudly beat his previous record by 30 seconds.
“This year’s competition was difficult – the water kept pulling you up, so it was a challenge to stay under. It required more effort and took up more oxygen,” the licensed free-diver explained.
The current edition required contestants to remain submerged two metres under the water, instead of near the surface.
“Although I won last year, I wanted to prove to myself that I’m capable of the new challenge, which is why I returned to compete once again.”
His free-diving hobby requires the diver to hold their breath while swimming into the depths of the water, without an oxygen supply to support their endeavours.
Married to Bahraini Fatima and residing in Qadam, he has been living in the kingdom since 2019 but has many happy childhood memories full of water-related activities including diving, swimming and spear fishing back in his home country.
“I used to live in Oman and practised spear-fishing on its beaches, but since you need a licence to do that in Bahrain, I decided to focus on free-diving.”
Organised by the Bahrain Inherited Traditional Sports Committee (Mawrooth), the breathtaking breath-holding contest took place near Amwaj Islands, with around 50 competitors.
Bahraini pearl divers were once famed free-divers known for their ability to hold their breath for extended periods, often remaining underwater for one to four minutes at a time while free-diving with the aid of a weighted rope, a basket and a nose-peg to control their breathing and signal their helper on the boat.
The arduous tradition, lasting for thousands of years and once deeply integrated into Bahrain’s economy and culture, involved spending months at sea on pearling journeys.
According to the organising committee, all necessary arrangements have been made and equipment provided to ensure the safety of all participants during the unique series in 2025.
The annual event is one of the most prominent organised by Mawrooth aimed at reviving the nation’s authentic maritime heritage.
It is sponsored by His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sports (SCYS) chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, with support from SCYS first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
The season began in July and will continue until mid-November. It features a number of events, including traditional rowing and open water swimming races, a fishing competition titled ‘hadaq’, a pearl oyster catching contest and a newly-introduced pearl diving ballad challenge entitled ‘Al Nahham’.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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