In the bag | Deep Water Ep3
11/25/202531 min
Vertical Blue, 2023, the moment the doping scandal erupts. The competition organiser, William Trubridge, recounts his plan to catch the dopers – and Lydia investigates the fallout of a very controversial drugs bust.
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Reporter - Lydia Gard
Producer - Gary Marsha...
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsLydia Gard· Host0:00
[gentle music] The Observer.
William Trubridge· Guest0:05
In the end, it fell on my shoulders to make it happen. It was a really tough decision, to be honest.
Lydia Gard· Host0:20
It's 2023, and Will Trubridge has been freediving his entire life, competing for more than 20 years. Now in his early 40s, he's part of the establishment, and as one of the most titled freedivers in the world, he has a strong voice in the community. He's from New Zealand, but he's been based in Long Island in the Bahamas for years. It's the home of Vertical Blue, the world's most exclusive freediving competition, the one at the center of the doping scandal, and Will's the guy who runs it. He's hosting 39 athletes who've signed up to compete, including the Croatians. The event will be live-streamed to a crowd of up to 100,000 spectators. Some of the biggest brands in the business, like Garmin, are sponsors. In the build-up to the opening ceremony, he's doing his usual preparation, but this year he's planning something a little different that only a handful of people know about. Remember that Facebook Messenger group that Donnie told us about where the athletes had been talking about acting on the doping rumors? Well, Will's an instrumental member,