User:Ubermensch01/sandbox/Nataliia Zharkova

Nataliia Zharkova (born on January 24th, 1989) in Kharkiv, Ukraine is a 2017 freediving champion of Europe and Ukraine. Nataliia holds multiple records in the discipline of freediving. She also is a freediving runner-up champion of the world, 2013. She is the first Ukrainian and the second woman to ever dive below the arch of the Blue Hole vertical underwater cave in Dahab, Egypt on a single breath.

= Biography =

Swimming career, 1997-2007
Nataliia started swimming at the age of 7 when her parents introduced her to swimming in order to alleviate her spine medical condition. In his months she would be accepted in the school of Olympic Reserve of Ukraine where she spent a total of 10 years.

Freediving career 2008 - present time
In 2008 Nataliia gets introduced to freediving and begins active training.

2009
Nataliia participated in a world championship held at Aarhus, Denmark. Nataliia set new Ukraine's national records in freediving.

2010
Competitions in Ukraine, Russia and Latvia. Each participation brought Nataliia a new Ukraine's national record.

2011
First depth competitions AIDA International World Championship held at Kalamata, Greece. Nataliia's first participation in the depth competitions drew here near the top freedivers in the discipline taking 6th place in the CNF discipline (constant weight, no fins). She also set new Ukraine's national records in the discipline. 

2012
Ukraine's first team world championship participation, event was held in Nice, France. Nataliia represented Ukraine along with Alexander Bubenchikov and Valentin Kuznetsov. Men's team has taken 14th place out of a total of 30. Nataliia updated her previous national records and took 5th place in the world rating.

2013
AIDA International World Championship in Kalamata, Greece. Nataliia Zharkova along with Natalia Molchanova won medals in all of the disciplines of the championship.
 * Silver - CNF (Constant weight apnea without fins), 60m
 * Silver - FIM (Free immersion apnea), 78m
 * Bronze - CWT (Constant weight apnea, Bi-fins), 85m

2013-2015
Finalist of the Pool World Championship held at Belgrad, Serbia.

2015
AIDA International Depth World Championship held at Limassol, Cyprus.
 * Bronze - FIM (Free immersion apnea)
 * Bronze - CWT (Constant weight apnea, with a monofin)

2017
In 2017 Nataliia won 2 gold and a bronze medals at Championship of Europe held at Kaş, Turkey. She set 2 new World Records according to CMAS. All immersions of that championship were filmed with the Dive Eye underwater drone.


 * CWT (Constant weight apnea, Bi-fins) - 85m 2 ming 51 sec - gold, world record
 * CNF (Constant weight apnea without fins) - 65m 2 ming 41 sec - gold, world record

Current activities


Currently Nataliia is a master Instructor at AIDA International, instructor (Emergency First Response-EFR). She is a chairman of the Freediving committee at UFUA (Ukrainian Federation of Underwater Activities) and is a member of the CMAS international committee. She is an author of multiple training programs and a coach in Deep Division freediving school in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Nataliia conducts trainings in warm climate locations, most notably in Dahab, Egypt and actively prepares for upcoming competitions.

Personal records

 * DYN, Dynamic apnea with fins - 172 meters
 * DNF, Dynamic apnea without fins - 132 meters
 * CWT, Constant weight apnea - 95 meters, National record of Ukraine
 * FIM, Free immersion apnea - 82 meters, National record of Ukraine
 * STA, Static Apnea - 6 minutes 02 seconds, National record of Ukraine
 * CWT, Constant weight apnea, Bi-fins - 85 meters, CMAS World record
 * CNF, Constant weight apnea without fins - 65 meters, CMAS World record

Education
Nataliia graduated Kharkiv State Technical University of Construction and Architecture in 2012 as a BSc in the field of Architecture led by professor Alexander Buryak. Her diploma theses are:
 * "Gentrification of a Flak tower in Augarten Park, Vienna, Austria to repurpose it as a freediving complex" for the Bachelor of Science diploma.


 * "Sports and tourism complex for underwater and sailing sports activities on the shore of Dahab, Egypt" for the Specialist degree diploma.

Swimming underneath the arch of Blue Hole
On the 27th of October 2016 Nataliia Zharkova became the first Ukrainian and the second woman in the world (after Natalia Molchanova) to dive through an underwater vertical cave known as Blue Hole on a single breath. Nataliia immersed to a depth of 56 meters and then swam 30 meters under the arch.

Photo projects
Nataliia participates in various photo projects as a model.