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The Triumph and Tragedy of the World’s Best Freediver
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On a clear morning in early September 2019, a Russian diver bobs gently on the sparkling blue surface of the Mediterranean next to a support raft a mile off the shore of the French Riviera. At five feet nine inches and nearly 190 pounds, Alexey “The Machine” Molchanov is sheathed in a golden wet suit, his feet snug in a matching golden monofin. He looks far larger than the lean safety divers that surround him in the water, waiting for the world’s reigning freediving champion to begin his descent.