6 World Records in 4 different categories. First female
diver to break the 100 meter barrier in the Limited
Variable Ballast category, the 120 meter barrier in
the Unlimited Variable Ballast category and to set an
official record in the Unassisted Constant Ballast category.
Yasemin was
born on May 2nd, 1979, in Ankara, the capital city of
Turkey, more than 600 miles/800 kilometers from the
sea. It was only during the summer holidays that she
would get a chance to indulge her passion for the underwater
world, and she made good use of that limited time. At
age 14, she was already a member of the national Monofin
swimming team, setting several Turkish records, while
also establishing herself as the best freediver in her
country. In 1998, she competed in the AIDA second World
Cup in Italy, taking first place among the women. A
year later, in 1999, in her quest for improvement, Yasemin
contacted Rudi Castineyra, the trainer who had just
guided champions Ravelo and Streeter to several world
records. As it turns out, Rudi had heard about Yasemin
and was very impressed with her potential and willing
to help her. After 6 months of training over the internet,
they met for the first time only a month before she
attempted her first world record, at which she succeeded.
From that point on, Yasemin and Rudi kept working together
and set a total of 6 world records together. Especially
important were the 3 records she set in 2000 and 2001
with the support of Quantum Watches, which were broadcasted
LIVE on national and international TV, a first for any
female freediver. Yasemin started accompanying Rudi
on his courses around the world, and by 2001, she had
already obtained her instructor license. During 2002
and the early part of 2003, Yasemin went through a difficult
time in her career, when she failed several record attempts
inexplicably, only to find out later on that her drop
in performance was due to a tumor in her pancreas, which
had to be operated in June 2003, and from which she
is recovering quite well. Yasemin is also a mathematics
students at the Middle-East Technical University and
an accomplished musician, having signed a contract to
compose and perform several soundtracks for television
programs. Yasemin's biggest concern in freediving is
that it should be done "for fun and with safety"
and these are the ideals she strives to pass onto her
students.
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