(Interview by Darina Chesheva)
Darina Chesheva: What attracted you to freediving in the first place, and how has your background shaped your approach to the sport?
Guillaume Bourdila: What drew me to freediving was first and foremost something rather paradoxical. I’ve always had a kind of fear of water, of depth, and even of what it represents. Freediving has been a way for me to get in touch with that. Not to run away from it, but to understand and tame it.
Over time, my background has shaped a very demanding approach to the sport. Freediving is not just a question of relaxation or sensation, but also of precision, technique, adaptation and lucidity. My experience both in the pool and at depth has taught me that performance comes as much from technical excellence as from the ability to remain calm in discomfort.
Darina Chesheva: What does a typical training week look like for you, both physically and mentally?
Guillaume Bourdila: Today, a typical training week consists of at least five training sessions in the water, plus three or four strength training sessions, including CrossFit. I really enjoy anything that pushes me to push myself, especially working with heavy weights. It’s something I really enjoy, and which now enables me to be more powerful underwater.
In the water, sessions vary according to period and objective, with work focused on hypoxia, hypercapnia, speed, technique and endurance.
Darina Chesheva: What exercises or routines have had the greatest impact on your performance?
Guillaume Bourdila: What has had the biggest impact on my performance is above all regularity in training, the fact of being totally focused, and above all fully committed to the quality of the work done. Going to training just to tick off a session is of little use. What makes progress is being able to do a really good job every time.
If I’m talking about specific exercises, there are some that have really helped me, such as dynamic statics in my case, or the slow 50 m. The slow 50 m consists in doing a 50 m as slowly as possible, crawling along the bottom of the pool. It’s a very interesting exercise, because it requires a great deal of control, relaxation and stamina.
Darina Chesheva: What’s your favorite competitive discipline, and which do you find the most difficult?
Guillaume Bourdila: Today, my favorite competitive discipline in the pool is breaststroke, and therefore DNF. It’s a discipline I particularly like because there are no tricks, only technique, feeling and a lot of training to reach a high level.
Deep down, my heart is between the CWTB and the FIM. I like demanding disciplines and real challenges. I also really like CNF, but the reality is that with the time I spend in the pool, I don’t always have sufficient lung adaptation to invest as much as I’d like. That’s another reason why I really enjoy bipalming.
And then, at depth, there’s something unique that you obviously can’t find in a swimming pool: free-fall. It’s an absolutely brilliant sensation.
Darina Chesheva: What are the biggest technical or mental challenges when moving from pool disciplines to deep water?
Guillaume Bourdila: The biggest challenge when you move from the pool to deep water is that the constraints are not the same at all. In the pool, the demands are extremely physical. You’re looking to produce a maximum performance, almost always flirting with the limit of syncope. Everything is very intense, very calibrated, very pushed.
At depth, the logic is different. On the contrary, we try to keep a small margin of error, because the consequences are not the same and the environment demands a different kind of caution. . You have to deal with the pressure, with your body’s sensations, but also with everything the environment can throw at you.
In my case, there’s also something very personal in this passage to depth. I have a real fear of depth, and also a fear of what I can’t see. It’s an element I have to come to terms with. Where the pool is a closed, legible, controlled setting, the depth forces me to confront something much more unfamiliar. It’s also what makes it attractive, but it’s clearly one of my greatest challenges.
Switching from one to the other requires a real ability to adapt, because you’re not just changing discipline, you’re almost changing your relationship with freediving.
Darina Chesheva: Which of your achievements are you most proud of?
Guillaume Bourdila: World titles are obviously very important, because they represent years of hard work, sacrifice and total commitment. To be world champion several times over is a very powerful thing. But if there’s one victory that really holds a special place, it’s the first time I became world champion. For everything that went into it, for the history it represents with Kevin, it remains one of my fondest memories and without doubt one of the victories that filled me up inside the most.
Another moment that left a deep impression on me was when I won the European championship with a 236-meter breaststroke. That was one of the most powerful mental feats of my career. It was an effort of rare intensity, where you had to reach very far. These are victories that count for a great deal, not just in terms of the list of achievements, but above all for what they tell us about the road we’ve travelled.
And beyond the medals, I’m also proud of having managed to last, to bounce back, and to remain capable of challenging myself. There have been some magnificent seasons, others tougher, with mistakes, frustrations and missed opportunities. To be still here today, to continue to progress and aim high, is perhaps an even greater source of pride than the titles themselves.
Darina Chesheva: How do you handle the pressure of aiming for a world record or title?
Guillaume Bourdila: I’m not trying to get rid of the pressure, because it’s part and parcel of top-level sport. When you’re aiming for a record or a world title, it’s always there. The challenge for me is above all to give it the right place and not to suffer from it.
With experience, I’ve learned to go back to very concrete things. Breathing, routine, technique, execution. When the goal is huge, you can’t get bogged down in what’s at stake, you have to refocus on what you’ve really mastered.
I also try to deal with all the unexpected things that can happen during a world championship. The slightest detail that could generate additional stress, I see as almost another step in my championship. I like to think that, whatever the little obstacles, I’ll be the one who manages them best. Basically, I play with the unexpected, and try to make it a strength rather than a burden.
Darina Chesheva: What goals are you currently working on in your career?
Guillaume Bourdila: At the moment, I’m still very much involved in the pool, but I’m preparing a real transition for next year. The idea is to put an end to my career in the French pool team, simply to free up more time and energy for deep-sea diving.
It’s an important step in my career, because until now, the balance between the two has always been difficult to strike. The swimming pool requires a huge investment, and leaves little room for building a truly ambitious project in depth.
From next year onwards, my aim will be to devote myself much more seriously to deep-sea racing, with a view to winning international podiums and, above all, records. That’s clearly where I want to open a new chapter.
Darina Chesheva: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start competing at the highest level?
Guillaume Bourdila: First of all, I’d say you have to trust yourself. You shouldn’t spend all your time looking at other people’s performances to compare yourself or get discouraged. You have to look at them carefully, yes, but see them as steps to be climbed progressively. What seems unattainable today may not be so tomorrow. You have to really believe in it. For me, believing it’s possible is already a huge part of the job. Being deeply convinced is almost everything.
That’s exactly how I managed to do 236 metres breaststroke. There comes a time when you have to believe in a performance before it actually exists.
Then you have to remain humble, clear-headed, focused and, above all, very regular. Many people want to be champions, but few are really prepared to do whatever it takes to become one.
And finally, I’d say go and take part in as many competitions as possible. Not necessarily to perform immediately, but above all to gain experience. High-level racing isn’t just about pure performance, it’s also about learning to manage the environment, the challenges, the mistakes, and to grow through it all.