{"id":1839,"date":"2020-10-01T13:53:15","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T13:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/about-me\/"},"modified":"2023-02-28T12:52:11","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T12:52:11","slug":"about-me","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/about-me\/","title":{"rendered":"About me"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n<div id='full_slider_1'  class='avia-fullwidth-slider main_color avia-shadow   avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_one_half  avia-builder-el-first   container_wrap fullsize' style=' '  ><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='477'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='false'  data-slide_height=''  data-handle='av_slideshow_full'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id=''  data-scroll_down=''  data-control_layout='av-control-default'  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-src=''  data-position='top left'  data-repeat='no-repeat'  data-attach='scroll'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-1  av-control-default av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_slideshow_full   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.666666666667%;' ><li  class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class = \"caption_fullwidth av-slideshow-caption caption_bottom\"><div class = \"container caption_container\"><div class = \"slideshow_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_inner_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_align_caption\"><h2  style='font-size:45px; ' class='avia-caption-title  '  itemprop=\"name\" >About<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><img src='https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/001-1-1500x1000.jpg' width='1500' height='1000' title='new' alt=''  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"   \/><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap fullsize' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-1839'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  avia-full-contain flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_slideshow_full  el_before_av_one_half  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-2  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/01D33C10-DB7A-4432-9A4E-560B843E87BE-687x1030.jpeg' alt='' title='01D33C10-DB7A-4432-9A4E-560B843E87BE' height=\"1030\" width=\"687\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_one_half  el_before_av_one_full  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><p><div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2    avia-builder-el-4  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first  '><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Alessia Zecchini<\/h2><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>When people ask me why I love freediving, I have three words in mind: depth, challenge and excitement.\u00a0That is the deep meaning of freediving to me, but there is much more beyond that.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>We have busy lives, and we often find ourselves at the edge of a dichotomy: surface-depth; boring-exciting; easy-challenging; boring-exciting.\u00a0<\/em><em>In my life, I choose the words where energy and happiness spread from, which express not only my passion but rather the passion that inhabits each of us.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\t<div   class='av_promobox  avia-button-no   avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '>\t\t<div class='avia-promocontent'><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Year 1992, from Rome, continuously seeking to live whole, unique and truly deep aquatic experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This is, in brief, \u00e8 Alessia Zecchini: 16 gold metals at World Championships, 33 international medals e <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/record\/\">31 world records<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_one_half  el_before_av_section  avia-builder-el-last  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"p1\"><em>\u201cI\u00a0 started freediving when I was 13 after I completed all swimming certifications. Family holidays in the Mediterranean Sea have been the original setting of my relationship with the Sea. However, before I was allowed to compete officially, I had to wait until I turned 18.&#8221;\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>Since then Alessia never stopped.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Freediving requires a lot of training, both physical and mental.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>\u201cI train every day, 3 or 4 hours a day, in the pool and at the gym. When a competition is approaching, I reach the location a fair amount of days before the actual challenge, so to get familiar with new conditions. Another essential part of my training, besides a high level of mental concentration, focuses on muscle stretching, which is needed to enhance lung capacity and to optimise my breathing techniques.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_1'  class='avia-section main_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  av-section-color-overlay-active avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_video   av-desktop-hide av-medium-hide av-small-hide av-mini-hide av-minimum-height av-minimum-height-custom  av-section-with-video-bg av-section-mobile-video-disabled container_wrap fullsize' style=' '   data-section-video-ratio='16:9'><div   data-size='featured'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids=''  data-video_counter='1'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='false'  data-slide_height=''  data-handle=''  data-interval='5'  data-class=' av-section-video-bg'  data-el_id=''  data-css_id=''  data-scroll_down=''  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-default-height='28.666666666667'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-2  av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-featured   av-section-video-bg avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 28.666666666667%;' ><li  data-controls='disabled' data-mute='aviaTBaviaTBvideo_mute' data-loop='1' data-disable-autoplay=''  data-video-ratio='3.4883720930233' class=' av-video-slide  av-video-service-youtube  av-hide-video-controls av-mute-video av-loop-video av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-2' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class='av-click-overlay'><\/div><div class='mejs-mediaelement'><div height='1600' width='900' class='av_youtube_frame' id='player_1839_1948104992_1306472144'  data-autoplay='0'  data-videoid='ccjuYTO_b6M'  data-hd='1'  data-rel='0'  data-wmode='opaque'  data-playlist='player_1839_1948104992_1306472144'  data-loop='0'  data-version='3'  data-autohide='1'  data-color='white'  data-controls='0'  data-showinfo='0'  data-iv_load_policy='3'  data-original_url='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ccjuYTO_b6M' ><\/div><\/div><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay'><div class=\"avia_playpause_icon\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class='av-section-color-overlay-wrap'><div class='av-section-color-overlay' style='opacity: 0.5; background-color: #000000; '><\/div><div class='container' style='height:350px'><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-1839'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id='after_section_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap fullsize' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-1839'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div  class='avia-video avia-video-16-9   avia-video-lightbox av-lazyload-video-embed  avia-video-standard-html  '   itemprop=\"video\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"  data-original_url='https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Alessia-Zecchini-La-regina-degli-abissi-Hd-SUB-ENG.mp4' ><script type='text\/html' class='av-video-tmpl'><a href='https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Alessia-Zecchini-La-regina-degli-abissi-Hd-SUB-ENG.mp4' rel='lightbox' class='mfp-iframe lightbox-link'><\/a><\/script><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay play-lightbox'><div class=\"avia_playpause_icon\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class='flex_column_table av-equal-height-column-flextable -flextable' ><div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  flex_column_table_cell av-equal-height-column av-align-top av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_video  el_before_av_one_half  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"p1\">Alessia&#8217;s first National competition was in 2011, when she participated to the Italian Championship in Turin, where she earned a second-place in 2 out of the 3 scheduled disciplines.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">One year later, Alessia is called for her first international competition, where she earns exceptional placings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>2013 is the year when Alessia becomes World Champion for the first time, in Kazan, during her first time joining the World Championship. In the same competition, Alessia also won a silver and a bronze medal in the other 2 scheduled disciplines.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The first Indoor World Record has to wait until 2015. The media attention dedicated to Alessia&#8217;s extraordinary accomplishments (5 medals between gold and silver, indoor and outdoor), strongly contributed to increasing the general interest in freediving.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">2016 is a non-stop year for the world champion, who wins three gold medals and respective World Records in Dynamics without fins, Dynamics with fins and Dynamics with monofin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>In 2017, after the record in the Bahamas, Alessia became the &#8220;deepest woman in the world&#8221;, beating for three times Natalia Molchanova&#8217;s hitherto unbeaten result, which had lasted for 6 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Even today, thanks to her -113 m in Constant Weight achieved in 2019 in Roatan, Alessia maintains the affectionate title that the press and her many fans have entrusted to her: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/3233\/\">the Queen of the Abyss<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class='av-flex-placeholder'><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  avia-full-contain flex_column_table_cell av-equal-height-column av-align-top av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-13  el_after_av_one_half  el_before_av_one_full  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-14  el_before_av_promobox  avia-builder-el-first  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Alessia_Zecchini_Andrea_Laureti-1030x1030.jpeg' alt='' title='Alessia_Zecchini_Andrea_Laureti' height=\"1030\" width=\"1030\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\t<div  style='background:#ffffff;' class='av_promobox  avia-button-no   avia-builder-el-15  el_after_av_image  avia-builder-el-last '>\t\t<div class='avia-promocontent'><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Great self-control and meditative reflection are essential ingredients in Alessia&#8217;s successes, who loves to tell how easy it is to transfer these skills even in completely different contexts, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/incentive\/\">corporate meetings, motivational speeches<\/a> and her active participation in the protection of the land environment and the Ocean.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The positive energy that Alessia naturally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/sponsor\/\">communicates<\/a> in her numerous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/press\/\">TV and Press<\/a> appearances, the strong relationship on social media and in real life with her supporters, have given an essential boost to the popularity of this sport. Especially youngsters are inspired by Alessia&#8217;s exploits and her contagious smile.<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div><\/div><!--close column table wrapper. Autoclose: 1 --><div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_one_half  el_before_av_promobox  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"p1\">Freediving teaches us to face the depths and the darkness that life sometimes presents to us.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>&#8220;As I was learning to descend into the Ocean depths, I experienced a greater knowledge of myself, my body and mind. There is a level of concentration that, once understood, leads to a feeling of ecstasy and clarity, in which you know exactly what you want to do at any given moment, and get an immediate response. You know that what must be done is achievable, albeit difficult \u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><\/p>\n\t<div  style='color:#d6d6d6;' class='av_promobox  avia-button-no   avia-builder-el-18  el_after_av_one_full  avia-builder-el-last '>\t\t<div class='avia-promocontent'><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Alessia&#8217;s dream is to finally see freediving recognized and included among the Olympic disciplines.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1839"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1839"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3969,"href":"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1839\/revisions\/3969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alessiazecchini.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}