Yasemin Dalkılıç

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Yasemin Dalkılıç, born May 2, 1979 in Ankara, Turkey is a free diver. She holds numerous world records in different categories of free diving. Though still in the middle of her career, she is already considered to be one of the all time greats in the sport.

[edit] Bio

Yasemin Dalkilic grew up in Ankara, to which the nearest coast was over 800 kilometres away. At age 14, she was already a member of the national Monofin swimming team, where she stayed for several years and set several Turkish records. By the time she was 16, she had already established herself as the best freediver in her country, and a soon-to-be star of the sport at a world level. In 1996, she became a student in the mathematics department at METU where she also became a member of the Subaqua Society.

Yasemin Dalkilic

In 1998 she competed in the Freediving World Cup in Sardinia, Italy, where she clinched the first place among the women. A year later, in 1999, Yasemin made an acquaintance that would change her life. International trainer Rudi Castineyra, who would guide world champions Alejandro Ravelo, Tanya Streeter and David Lee to several world records, showed great interest in Yasemin.

Yasemin started a training regime designed by Rudi Castineyra which maximized her potential in a very short time. Later that year she set her first World Record with a dive to 68 meters/223 ft. In 2000, the duo set their sights on the spectacular Variable Ballast type of freediving, which comprises two challenging categories. In July 19th and 23rd respectively, Yasemin shattered the existing world records in the Limited and Unlimited Variable Ballast categories, by raising (or lowering) the bar to 100 meters/ 328 feet and 120 meters/ 394 feet respectively. In the year 2001, she set two more world records, first improving her own mark in the Limited Variable Ballast with a 105 meter/344 feet dive in Egypt and 3 months later, a second one in the Unassisted Constant Ballast category, with a plunge to 40 meters/131 feet in Kos, Greece. Five of her records have been broadcasted LIVE on national and international networks, more than any other freediver ever.

Yasemin's sister Hande Dalkılıç is a renowned concert pianist.