Anqi Lim (Singapore Athlete)

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Anqi Lim
Anqi Lim Freediver.jpg
Born1982
EducationBachelor of Accountancy
Alma materNanyang Technological University (NTU)

Anqi Lim (born 1982) is a competitive freediving athlete and the founder of the Sea Glass Project, an environmental initiative that raises awareness about ocean pollution and conservation.[1] She was the first Singaporean female freediver to win a medal at an international competition, having done so at the 2019 Caribbean Cup in Honduras.[2] As of December 2020, Anqi Lim holds the national record in four free-diving categories.[3] The AAS is Singapore’s representative organisation for the Association for the International Development of Apnea (AIDA), the international governing body for freediving.[4] In 2020, Lim Anqi was featured on the Gen T. List for her sporting achievements.[5]

Background

Anqi Lim pictured for Gen T. in 2020. Photo from source.

Education

Anqi Lim was a student at Hwa Chong Junior College.[6] From 2001 to 2004, she studied at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) where she received her Bachelor of Accountancy from the Nanyang Business School.[7][8]

Career

After graduating from university, Anqi Lim worked in Citibank for close to five years until 2010.[7][8][9] Speaking about her decision to travel the world after leaving her corporate job, she said:

“It wasn’t my intention to be completely out of the industry. After five years of working, I just thought that I’d just take a short break but I didn’t think that this break would be a change in my life’s direction in many different ways.”[10]

During her travels, Anqi Lim taught scuba diving after attaining her instructor certificate.[11] According to The Straits Times, she held a day-job from 2017 to early 2019 in the career office of a local polytechnic to supplement her income.[12] As reported in August 2019, Anqi Lim is a full-time freediver.[13]

Competitive freediving

Anqi Lim making a dive at a competition in Honduras. Photo from source.

In 2014, Anqi Lim was introduced to freediving while teaching scuba diving in Koh Lipe, Thailand.[14] In a 2020 interview with Women’s Weekly, she spoke about her discovery of the sport and what it meant to her, saying:

“To see someone being able to be in the water without the aid of any air tanks, it just looked so incredibly free and liberating to explore the ocean in such a natural way. I then went on to learn free-diving from this very freediver. Freediving is a journey inwards and it’s incredibly meditative for me to experience the freedom and beauty of being underwater in a single breath.”[11]

Competitions

Anqi Lim at the Sabang International Freediving Competition in 2019. Photo from source.

Anqi Lim participated in her first freediving competition, the Freedive Panglao Staff Competition in April 2015. At the time of her competitive debut, she set a new female national record in the constant weight with fins category at 38 metres.[3] Since then, she has participated in over ten other competitions.[15] Notably, she won a bronze medal in the constant weight without fins category at the 2019 Caribbean Cup, a major freediving competition.[2][16] While practising in Honduras for the competition, she blacked out as she ascended from a dive.[17] Speaking to The Straits Times about the experience, she said:

“That was the first time I blacked out in five years of freediving so there was a bit of fear as I avoided 50m for some time... I have learnt from that episode to understand my body and prepare better.”[18]

Most recently, Anqi Lim set a new national record of 50m in the constant weight without fins (CNF) category at the Sabang International Freediving Competition in November 2019.[19]

National records

The following is a list of Anqi Lim's most recent records.

Year Competition Category Record Location Refs.
2019 AIDA Sabang International Freediving Competition 2019 Constant weight no fins (CNF) 50m Sabang, Indonesia [3][20]
Free immersion (FIM) 64m
Azul Freediving Challenge Constant weight bi-fins (CWTB) 70m Bacalar, Mexico [3]
2018 Asian Freediving Cup 2018 Constant weight with fins (CWT) 62m Panglao, Philippines [3][21]

Ocean conservation

Founder of Sea Glass Project

Anqi Lim established the Sea Glass Project in November 2019 as an initiative to bring awareness about ocean pollution.[1] She began collecting sea glass in 2017 and over time, up-cycled these into jewellery.[22] Speaking to Women’s Weekly about the project, she said:

“The journey of a sea glass starts as discarded pieces of glass that have found their way into the ocean. Over time, they’re weathered by the tumbling of waves and ocean, rough edges are smoothened and years later they get a natural frosted appearance. My vision is to use sea glass as a way to show the beauty of the ocean and to increase awareness of the need to save our oceans from pollution.”[11]

Besides raising awareness about marine conservation and pollution, Anqi Lim has also worked with the Daughters Of Tomorrow charity. Some of her sea glass necklaces are handmade by the beneficiaries of Daughters Of Tomorrow.[23]

References/ Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Low, Estelle. “Lim Anqi Uses Sea Glass Jewelry to Raise Awareness On Pollution”. SHAPE SINGAPORE. March 4, 2020. Accessed on 10 December 2020.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kwek, Kimberly. “Freediving: Lim Anqi celebrates National Day by setting four national records at World Championships”. The Straits Times. August 12, 2019. Accessed on 10 December 2020.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 “AIDA National Records”. Apnea Association of Singapore. n.d. Accessed on 10 December 2020.
  4. ↑ “Home”. Apnea Association of Singapore. n.d. Accessed on 10 December 2020.
  5. ↑ "The Gen.T List". Gen T. List. Accessed on 16 December 2020.
  6. ↑ A Different Path. "ADP #2: Anqi Lim - The journey of Singapore's deepest female freediver". BuzzSprout. June 21, 2020. Accessed on 16 December 2020.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Anqi Lim. LinkedIn. n.d. Accessed on 10 December 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anqilim/
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 “Q&A With BOLDR Ambassador Lim Anqi”. BOLDR Supply Co. November 21, 2019. Accessed on 10 December 2020.
  9. ↑ Siew Hoon. "15. Lim Anqi – The art of freediving". A Life in Travel. July 30, 2020. Accessed on 16 December 2020.
  10. ↑ “S2 Ep 5: Lim Anqi – The art of freediving”. A Life in Travel. July 30, 2020. Accessed on 10 December 2020.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Thang, Farisia. “This Award-Winning Freediver Wants To Share About Ocean Conservation Through Sea Glass”. Women’s Weekly. July 2, 2020. Accessed on 11 December 2020.
  12. ↑ Kwek, Kimberly. “Freediving: Singapore's Lim Anqi defies the odds to win a medal in a major freediving contest”. The Straits Times. August 8, 2019. Accessed on 10 December 2020.
  13. ↑ Kwek, Kimberly. "Freediver's belated National Day gift for Singapore: Four records". The Straits Times. August 13, 2019. Accessed on 16 December 2020.
  14. ↑ Tai, Vanessa. “Into the deep: Freediver Lim Anqi on why the sport has enthralled her”. SilverKris. January 25, 2020. Accessed on 10 December 2020.
  15. ↑ Kwek, Kimberly. "Freediving: Two new national records spur Lim Anqi further". The Straits Times. September 30, 2019. Accessed on 16 December 2020.
  16. ↑ “Anqi Lim and Shuyi Chua excel in Roatan. CARIBBEAN CUP 2019 Freediving Competition and 2019 CMAS 4th Freediving Outdoor World Championship”. Apnea Association of Singapore. August 23, 2019. Accessed on 11 December 2020.
  17. ↑ Cai, Candice. “She blacked out while underwater, but it didn’t stop her from pursuing her freediving passion”. AsiaOne. August 28, 2020. Accessed on 10 December 2020.
  18. ↑ Lee, David. "Freediving: Lim Anqi rounds off sensational year by setting new national record of 50m". The Straits Times. November 7, 2019. Accessed on 16 December 2020.
  19. ↑ Lee, David. “More records for freediver Lim Anqi”. The Straits Times. November 8, 2019. Accessed on 10 December 2020.
  20. ↑ “AIDA SABANG INTERNATIONAL FREEDIVING COMPETITION 2019”. AIDA. n.d. Accessed on 11 December 2020.
  21. ↑ “Asian Freediving Cup 2018”. AIDA. n.d. Accessed on 11 December 2020.
  22. ↑ “Sea Glass Project by Anqi Lim”. Google Drive. n.d. Accessed on 11 December 2020.
  23. ↑ “Sea glass macrame necklaces: handmade by women beneficiaries of Daughters Of Tomorrow”. Etsy. n.d. Accessed on 11 December 2020.
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