Benjamin Franz

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Benjamin Franz (born January 3, 1971 ) is a former German freediver . He is one of the pioneers of professional freediving in Germany.

Diving

After snorkeling and scuba diving , Franz began apnea diving in 1995. As early as the spring of 1996 he took part in the eliminations for the German national team and in autumn 1996 he took third place with the team at the World Cup in Nice as the best German participant. With a time of 5:22 minutes he was runner-up in stationary freediving. The following year he broke the German record in deep diving with constant weight off the island of Elba with 45 meters and improved the German record in freshwater to 40 meters in the Attersee . In 1998 he dived 50 meters off Elba, surpassing his own record by 5 meters. At the World Championships in Sardinia he set a new German record in time diving with 5:51 minutes. At the beginning of January 1999 he became world champion in Apnea per Hour. He improved the previous record of the Belgian Jean Fransois of 59 minutes and 33 seconds by 8 seconds. In Hurghada he reached the 100 meter mark in no-limit diving that same year and with this new German record he joined the ranks of internationally known no-limit divers.

World records

From 2000, Franz set several world records.

discipline record date place
CWT 066 m September 16, 2000 Attersee
NLT 120 m July 1, 2001 Attersee
VWT 117 m September 1, 2001 Safaga , Egypt

CWT: Deep diving with constant weight ("Constant Weight")
VWT: Deep diving with variable weight ("Variable Weight")
NLT: Deep diving with variable weight and any aids such as sledges, lifting bags, ... ("No Limit")

(see also explanations on the competition and record disciplines )

In addition to his German records and world records he set two Guinness records in apnea cycling under water on.

End of career

In mid-2002 Franz suffered a stroke on a training dive in the Red Sea . At this point he was preparing for a no-limit world record attempt in which he wanted to dive to a depth of 165 meters. As a result of the accident, he was paralyzed on one side, could no longer speak and sat in a wheelchair for six months. Two years after the stroke, he took part in a half marathon despite existing partial paralysis .

Before his accident, Franz had thought freediving was not much more dangerous than cycling . In an interview in 2013, however, he stated that he accused himself today of being driven by ambition.

In addition to his sporting career, he learned the profession of wood sculptor. He passed his journeyman's examination with distinction and became state winner in 1999 with his journeyman's piece. Today Franz is a photographer and lives with his family in Willmering .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Michael Goldschmidt: 8 seconds of eternity. (No longer available online.) In: UnterWasserWelt. January 1999, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved November 29, 2013 .
  2. ↑ The History of Freediving. (No longer available online.) AIDA international, archived from the original ; accessed on November 30, 2013 (English).
  3. ^ Michael Goldschmidt: Benjamin Franz: German record NO LIMIT 100 meters. (No longer available online.) In: UnterWasserWelt. November 1999, archived from the original on August 25, 2010 ; Retrieved November 30, 2013 .
  4. ↑ Michael Goldschmidt: No limits for Benjamin Franz? NO LIMIT world record in fresh water set at 120 meters. (No longer available online.) In: UnterWasserWelt. July 2001, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved November 30, 2013 .
  5. ↑ Extreme sports: Upper Palatinate dives 117 meters deep without oxygen. In: FAZ. September 11, 2001, accessed November 30, 2013 .
  6. ↑ AIDA official Worlds Records History - Variable Weight
  7. ↑ Guinness Records. (No longer available online.) In: UnterWasserWelt. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved November 30, 2013 .
  8. ↑ a b Klaus Brinkbäumer: The deepest person in the world . In: Der Spiegel . No. 45 , 2002 ( online ).
  9. ↑ Freediver Franz wants to become "the deepest person in the world". In: www.faz.net. July 17, 2002, accessed April 18, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Sandra Weidlich: Dangerous Intoxication of the Deep. In: Fin and Fun. January 10, 2006, accessed May 2, 2020 .
  11. ↑ a b Freediver after diving accident: Driven by ambition. In: Stern TV. July 10, 2013, archived from the original on July 15, 2013 ; Retrieved November 30, 2013 .
  12. ↑ a b In my second life I am very happy. (No longer available online.) Deutsche Schlaganfallhilfe, archived from the original on December 3, 2013 ; Retrieved November 29, 2013 .
personal data
SURNAME Franz, Benjamin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German apnea diver
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd January 1971