CMAS 14th World Championship Freediving Indoor

Belgrade, Srbija, 2024

Asya Kleshchevnikova, Sports Columnist
Head of Customer Service & International Sales
asya@molchanovs.com

Kristina Zvaritch
Editor

1. Preview of the World Championship
2. Day 1 (July 6): Competition in DNF
2.1 New CMAS World Record in DNF
3. Day 2 (July 7): Competition in DYNB
4. Day 3 (July 8): Competition in STA
5. Day 4 (July 9): Competition in DYN
5.1 New CMAS World Recod in DYN

Preview of the World Championship

Background

On July 5, 2024, the CMAS 14th World Championship Freediving Indoor begins with an opening ceremony in Belgrade, Serbia.
The competition is arranged by a very experienced team of organizers led by Božana Ostojić, the President of the Serbian Underwater Federation, who has 18 years of experience organizing freediving competitions (including 5 World Championships). Because of this, we believe that conditions will be ideal for relaxation, deconcentration, and new personal best performances and world records.

The XII World Games will take place in August 2025 in Chengdu, China. The World Games include sports and disciplines not included in the Olympic Games. Two freediving disciplines, DNF and DYN, are already listed in the program for the XII World Games. Therefore, this Championship is extremely special as a potential qualifying round for the XII World Games.

Get ready to see the world's strongest freedivers and world record holders gathering here, fighting not only for new records and champion titles but also for the right to present their countries and freediving at the XII World Games.

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for a thrilling show!

Pool condition and competition schedule

Freedivers will perform in the Milan Gale Muškatirović recreational sports center. The pool conditions will be as follows:

• Lane length: 50m (164ft)
• Lane depth: 2m (7ft)
• Lane width: 2.5m (8ft)
• Water temperature: 26°C (78.8°F)

Athletes will compete in 7 disciplines according to the following schedule:
July 6 - Dynamic without Fins (DNF) and Speed Apnea 8x50
July 7 - Dynamic with Bi-fins (DYN BF) and Speed Apnea 2x50m
July 8 - Static (STA) and Speed Apnea 4x50m
July 9 - Dynamic (DYN)

The winners of each discipline will be announced at the end of every competition day.

Competing athletes

About 150 athletes from 40 countries announced their participation in the Championship. All current world record holders in pool disciplines (except for males in STA) are present!

We haven't seen such intense competition in a while. In each discipline, there are at least 4 - 6 athletes whose current personal best (PB) results qualify them for a medal.

Nevertheless, the current world record holders have the biggest chances of winning.

Dynamic without Fins (DNF)

In DNF, among men and women, both the current and former world record holders are present at the Championship. Mateusz Malina (POL) and Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) will be fighting for the gold among the men. Guillaume is the current AIDA World Record Holder in DNF with a dive to 236m (774ft), while Mateusz is the current absolute World Record Holder with 250m (820ft).

The competition is even more intense among the women. Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) and Julia Kozerska (POL) are the former and current World Record Holders, with 209m (686ft) and 213m (699ft) dives, respectively. And that's not all! Mirela Kardašević (HRV) touched the wall at 200m (656ft) in DNF two years ago at the CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championship 2022 and became that year's DNF Vice-Champion.

If one of these leaders makes a mistake, Vanja Peleš (HRV), Oliver Elu (FRA), Karol Karcz (POL), and Boris Milošić (HRV) can hope for a medal. Among women, the golden trio is followed by Kateryna Sadurska (UKR), Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN), and Livia Bregonzio (ITA).

Dynamic with Bi-fins (DYN BF)

In DYNB, the current absolute World Record Holder among the men is Goran Čolak (HRV). At the Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023, Goran swam with bifins to 292.15m (958ft), beating the AIDA World Record of Mateusz Malina (POL) by 2.15m (7ft). It seems that Goran and Malina will fight for the Champion status and likely a new World Record if they risk pushing limits.

Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) and Mauro Generali (ITA) also might count for a place on the podium. At the Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023, they were third and fourth in the CMAS ranking by discipline, with results of 273.03m (896ft) and 270.60m (888ft), respectively.

Among the women, the competition is also between the current absolute World Record Holder, Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) (263.64m / 865ft; Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023), and the previous world record holder Mirela Kardašević (HRV) (258.5m / 848ft; Croatian Open Cup 2023). Once the ladies decide who will be the first and second, Livia Bregonzio (ITA) and Gemma Vila Catala (ESP) may also try to step onto the podium. At the Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023, Livia and Gemma won second and third place, with results of 243.40m (799ft) and 211m (692ft), respectively.

Dynamic (DYN)

In DYN, the golden trio among men and women has already been mentioned above:

• Mateusz Malina (POL) is the current absolute World Record Holder with 321.43m / 1,055ft at the CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championship 2022)
• Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) was last year’s World Champion in DYN with 306.6m (1,006ft) at the Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023; at that time, Mateusz was ranked 10th.
• Mauro Generali (ITA) and Goran Čolak (HRV) won silver and bronze at the Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023 with only a 50cm (1.6ft) difference in their 300m (984ft) and 299.50m (983ft) results.

Also, there is a surprise name on the list for DYN - Alexey Molchanov (INT). You probably know the name well enough! But it’s still a bit of a mystery what distance Alexey might perform in a pool discipline since we haven't actually seen him competing in pool World Championships since 2018!

Among the women:

• Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) is the current absolute World Record Holder (277m / 909ft; AIDA International Czech Championship in Freediving 2022).
• Mirela Kardašević (HRV) is the current CMAS World Record Holder (275.36m / 903ft; CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championship 2022).
• Julia Kozerska (POL) became the World Champion at the Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023 with a performance of 264m (866ft).

It’s strange when you aren't sure if the bet for the current absolute World Record Holder is secure enough. Who will be placing your money on?

Static (STA)

We can expect a slightly different list of leading athletes in STA for a change. First of all, there is the newly emerged absolute World Record Holder in STA - Heike Schwerdtner (DEU). Just a week ago, Heike set a new absolute World Record in STA of 09:07, beating the 11-year-old world record of Natalia Molchanova. Heike did it with apparent ease and with a good reserve. Is it possible a new world record is awaiting us at this Championship?

Sylvie Gilson (FRA) (07:57; CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championship 2022) and Julia Kozerska (POL) (08:01; CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championship 2022) may try to keep Heike company on the podium so she doesn't feel lonely on the podium.

Among men, the athlete with the longest breath-hold is Branko Petrović (SRB) - 10:45. At the Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023, Branko became the World Champion with a result of 10:03. Branko is followed by the Vice-Champion Laurent de Beaucaron (FRA), whose result was 09:27, and Goran Čolak (HRV), whose PB is 09:45 and result at the Championship was 08:45.

The stress of the Championship, fatigue from four competition days in a row (there is no rest day in the middle of the event), and tremendous rivalry may quickly change the balance between leading freedivers. The slightest mistake can cost an athlete a medal...

Ladies and gentlemen, will you dare to make your bets?

Let the show begin!

What’s next?

Each day of the Championship, we’ll post official links to the online broadcasts so you can find them easily. If you don't have time to watch the broadcast - don't worry! We'll watch for you and write detailed reports on all the notable performances.

Stay tuned and make sure you catch our updates.

To make the Championship more fun, we are preparing a special celebration at the end of the Championship. Follow our news from the Championship so you don’t miss out!

If you want more information on freediving competitions and how to watch them to get ready for this year’s Championship, make sure you check our competition guides:

• International Freediving Federations You Need to Know: CMAS vs. AIDA
• How to Make Sense of a Freediving Competition Broadcast
• Current CMAS and AIDA Freediving World Records

NEW CMAS WORLD RECORD IN DNF

On July 6, at the CMAS 14th World Championship Freediving Indoor, Julia Kozerska (POL) set a new CMAS World Record in Dynamic without Fins (DNF) with 211.50m (694ft). Congratulations, Julia!

Rising to the challenge

It's definitely a challenge competing in two World Championships within two weeks and remaining in peak shape. All other current world record holders skipped the previous event, the 32nd AIDA Freediving World Championship, to save energy for the Championship. So, after winning three out of four gold medals at one Championship, Julia decided that wasn't enough and opened the next Championship with a new world record. Is this woman even a human - did anyone check?

How it happened

Julia started freediving in 2011 and won her first DNF medal in the World Championship in 2016 when she dived to 167m (548ft) without fins. Then, in 2019, at the CMAS Freediving Indoor European Championship in Istanbul, Julia set her first DNF World Record of 196.95m (646ft).

Year by year, Julia competed for the World Record Holder title against Mirela Kardašević (HRV) and Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL), sometimes winning and sometimes losing to them by several meters.

In 2022, a big breakthrough happened. On June 12th, at the 2022 CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championship, Julia outswam her competitors by 10m (33ft) and set a new absolute World Record in DNF of 210m (689ft). Then, just 9 days later, at the 28th AIDA World Championship, she also broke the AIDA World Record with a 209m (686ft) performance.

In 2023, Julia was the only World Record Holder to participate in the 30th AIDA World Championship. During that event, Julia improved the absolute World Record even further, swimming 213m (699ft) without fins.

In 2024, thanks to the Diveye technology used during the broadcast, we saw Julia swimming with one of her main competitors, Magdalena, in one heat. It was such a unique and engaging rivalry to witness! Julia overtook Magdalena by an impressive 13m (43ft), won the Champion title, and set a new CMAS World Record in DNF.

Yet, Julia's result isn't a personal best. Her absolute world record in DNF is 1.5m (5ft) further.

Every detail counts

We must draw your attention to an important fact: Julia set all four of her last DNF World Records: CMAS - 210m (689ft), AIDA - 209m (686ft), AIDA - 213m (699ft), and CMAS - 211.5m (694ft) in 50m (164ft) pools. This is more challenging than competing in a 25m (82ft) pool, where an athlete pushes off the wall more often and gets extra propulsion.

For example, Mateusz Malina (POL) set the men’s absolute DNF World Record of 250m (820ft) in a 25m pool at an AIDA competition.

Once again - Congratulations, Julia! You did it again!

Day 1 (July 6): Competition in DNF

On July 6, the first day of the CMAS 14th World Championship Freediving Indoor in Belgrade, Serbia, athletes competed in Dynamic without Fins (DNF). All the top athletes, including the unexpected Ming Jin (CHN) and Rolando Salgado Martinez (CUB), gathered in the pool.

The competition day was divided into two parts. All the women competed in the first part and all the men in the second. Only two athletes performed in each heat and the online broadcast was arranged with the help of Diveye. Therefore, we have full and clear footage of each athlete. It was especially spectacular and thrilling to witness the performances of top athletes with close personal best results swimming side by side, aiming for the gold.

You can check the broadcast for yourself here.

The only downside of the broadcast is that it doesn't contain preliminary results, so the realized performances aren't clear at all.

Short Summary of the Day

• 108 athletes participated
• 15 received red cards
• 1 new CMAS World Record
• Performances ranged from 31m (102ft) to 229.50m (753ft)

Winners among the women

The women's competition went on as predicted without any big surprises. Several women exceeded their limits and blacked out underwater. Unfortunately, the rising star Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) was among them. A week earlier, Zsófia won a silver medal in DNF at the 32nd AIDA Freediving World Championship, swimming 185m (607ft). This time, she eagerly tried to touch the wall and make it to 200m (656ft) but lost consciousness underwater, 3m (10ft) away from the wall. It looks like Zsófia won't be allowed to compete on the next competition day.

But even if Zsófia didn't push herself that much, surfaced at 197m (646ft), and received a white card, it still wouldn't have been enough to win a medal.

The four strongest women swam in the last two heats. Thanks to the great broadcast, we saw Mirela Kardašević (HRV) and Kateryna Sadurska (UKR), then Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) and Julia Kozerska (POL) competing side-by-side. In the penultimate heat, Mirela swam further than Kateryna, surfacing at 209m (686ft) and 183.5m, respectively. In the ultimate heat, Magdalena surfaced first but seemed to dive more conservatively. She decided not to push to 200m (656ft) and finished with 198.5m (651ft). It was a perfect example of how an athlete felt their body and understood their limits during a dive.

Julia surfaced at 211.5m (694ft), set a new CMAS World Record, and became the World Champion of DNF.

To sum up, the winners among the women are as follows:
1st place - 211.5m (694ft) - Julia Kozerska (POL)
2nd place - 209m (686ft) - Mirela Kardašević (HRV)
3rd place - 198.5m (581ft) - Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL)

We also want to bring your attention to the performance of Livia Bregonzio (ITA). The athlete is 51 years old, so she could perform in the Masters category and win. Yet, Livia competed in the Senior category, and was ranked an impressive 5th place with a 179.5m (589ft) dive.

Congratulations to all the winners and new record holders!

Winners among the men

The competition among men, however, was with an unexpected twist. On the one hand, the 216.5m (710.3ft) performance of Vanja Peleš (HRV) wasn't that surprising. Vanja is an experienced athlete, and he managed the dive neatly. On the other hand, the dive of exactly the same distance, 216.5m (710.3ft), performed by Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE) was a nice surprise. Vanja and Kai-Hsiang shared thesilver medal. Also, we at last saw a DNF performance by Rolando Salgado Martinez (CUB), who forgot to make an announcement about his favourite discipline at the previous Championship. The performance was worth it - a clean 202m (662.73ft) dive with an unusual leg kick technique and a confident surface protocol. But even this distance only allowed Rolando to be ranked 5th in the discipline.

In the last heat, the two discipline leaders were swimming: Mateusz Malina (POL) and Guillaume Bourdila (FRA). Guillaume withdrew from the competition for the gold in DNF at 163m (534.7ft). The athlete probably didn't feel well and decided not to risk his allowance to compete in the next few days by pushing himself to the limits, which usually end with blackouts. So, Mateusz, the current absolute world record holder in DNF (250m/820.21ft, AIDA Polish Freediving Pool Championships), confirmed his status as the strongest man in the discipline and surfaced at 229m (751.3ft).

Matteo Airoldi (ITA), with a respectable result of 204m (669.3ft), was ranked 4th in the discipline. Karol Katz (POL) also aimed for a 200m (656.2ft) dive but surfaced at 198.5m (651.2ft) and blacked out.

To sum up, the final ranking among men is as follows:
1st place - 229m (751.3ft) - Mateusz Malina (POL)
2nd place - 216.50m (710.3ft) - Vanja Peleš (HRV) and Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE)

Congratulations to all the athletes! It was a great show, and we can’t wait to see what will happen next!

Day 2 (July 7): Competition in DYNB

On July 7, the second day of the CMAS 14th World Championship Freediving Indoor in Belgrade, Serbia, athletes competed in Dynamic with Bi-Fins (DNF).

The task in DYNB is to swim with bifins underwater as far as possible. The main challenge is that dolphin kicks aren't allowed except within the first 3m (10ft) after a freediver starts and after each turn. For each dolphin kick outside of the specified area, a 3m penalty is subtracted from the realized performance of an athlete.

Short Summary of the Day

The women started the first part of the day, and then the men competed. Here’s a brief recap of the day:

• 104 athletes participated
• 14 received red cards
• 5 athletes received 3m penalty for dolphin kick
• Performances ranged from 32.50m (107ft) to 285.50m (937ft)

Winners among the women

The competition among the women was intense and at a very high level. In the end, the women’s competition proceeded as anticipated - the current world record holder won despite a former world record holder snapping at her heels.

In total, 11 women tried to swim further than 220m (722ft), and 8 succeeded. Agata Załęcka (POL) and Gemma Vila (SPA) covered impressive distances of 220.50m (723ft) and 221.50m (727ft), respectively, and could have been one of the top 10 athletes in the discipline. Unfortunately, they outdid themselves and blacked out on the surface, failing to complete the surface protocol.

Yağmur Ergün (TUR) completed even a stronger dive. The athlete surfaced at 237m (778ft) and received a yellow card, meaning that the judge had doubts about her surface protocol and would make the final decision after rewatching the dive. Her performance remained at the top until the final heat. At the end of the day, Yagmur could have be ranked fourth in the discipline. Unfortunately, after rewatching the footage of her performance, the judges gave the athlete a red card. That's unfortunate, but nonetheless, great dive, Yagmur - you'll get it next time!

The biggest intrigue was, again, saved for the final two heats. In the penultimate heat, two Italian athletes, Cristina Rodda and Livia Bregonzio, competed for the bronze. Eventually, Livia, who swam faster and with a very technical and beautiful style, surfaced at 248.50m (815ft) and received a white card. The athlete set a new CMAS National Record for Italy and secured a bronze medal. Cristina swam slower and finished later but with shorter distance of several meters (231.50m / 760ft). Both women could have participated in the Master category but they competed as Senior athletes and were ranked third and fourth in the discipline. Ben fatto, continuate così!

And then - the final heat! Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL), the current absolute World Record holder in DYNB, and Mirela Kardašević (HRV), the former World Record holder, swam side by side. Thanks to the perfectly arranged broadcast, we could witness both athletes diving simultaneously and compare their technique and style. Mirela was swimming in a relaxed manner with a longer gliding phase, and she definitely won the prize for the most elegant performance. However, she missed the gold by 2.50m (8ft) and the potential DYNB World Record by 3.6m (12ft).

Magdalena finned the entire way and subjectively seemed to be swimming a bit faster. The athlete surfaced after Mirela at 262.50m (861ft), only 1.14m (4ft) away from breaking her own DYNB World Record. Congratulations, World Champion - that was an unforgettable rivalry!

To sum up, the winners among women are as follows:
1st place - 262.5m (861ft) - Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL)
2nd place - 260m (853ft) - Mirela Kardašević (HRV)
3rd place - 248.50m (815ft) - Livia Bregonzio (ITA)

Winners among the men

The competition among the men was as dramatic as ever. 13 men tried to swim further than 250m (820ft) and 11 of them succeed. Among those two failed attempts, there was a potential new absolute world record, which unfortunately slipped through the athlete’s fingers.

One of the main contenders for a medal, Mateusz Malina (POL), swam several heats before the current absolute World Record holder in DYNB - Goran Čolak (HRV) (292.15m / 958ft; Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023). The athlete surfaced at a distance of 285.50m (937ft) and received the white card. It was a massive dive, yet, a 6.65m (22ft) shorter than the current world record. With a smoother technique, the athlete likely could beat the record.

In one of the heats, we saw the performances of a rising star, Rolando Salgado Martinez (CUB), and of an experienced athlete, Mikhail Briantsev (INT). Both athletes swam precisely the same distance of 266.50m (874ft) and received white cards. Eventually, they ended up ranking fourth in the discipline.

In the next heat, Hrvoje Škorić (HRV) swam beautifully to 291m (955ft) - a performance just 1.15m (4ft) less than the current absolute World Record! Unfortunately, at the surface, the athlete experienced a loss of motor control and dipped his mouth into water, resulting in a red card. We were as sad and surprised as you, Hrvoje - good luck next time!

In the penultimate heat, Mauro Generali (ITA) and Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) surfaced with just a 1m (3ft) difference. The seasoned athlete, Mauro (who could perform in the Masters category), finished at 275.50m (904ft), and Guillaume at 274.50m (901ft). These results could have potentially led them to the podium, but there was still the final heat when the current World Record holder - Goran Čolak (HRV) - performed.

And he performed - confidently and gracefully, Goran swam to a new absolute World Record and surfaced at 294m (965ft). But on the surface, he had samba and, alas, dipped his mouth during the surface protocol - red card. You've got it next time, Goran!

So, the winners among men are as follows:
1st place - 285.50m (937ft) - Mateusz Malina (POL)
2nd place - 275.50m (904ft) - Mauro Generali (ITA)
3rd place - 274.50m (901ft) - Guillaume Bourdila (FRA)

Congratulations to the Champion and awardees! It was truly epic!

Special thanks

On the previous competition day, we praised the Championship organizers for a great online broadcast arranged with the Diveye underwater drone: in each heat, athletes start in pairs, the screen is split into halves, and in each half, we can see an athlete's dive from their finishing packing gulps of air before the start to the surface protocol at the end. However, we mentioned that the broadcast lacked information about the distances performed and the preliminary results of the athletes.

We were pleasantly surprised to see that the organizers promptly addressed the matter and, on the second competition day, the athletes' names, the performed distances, and dive time were on our screens. Now the online broadcast is impeccable. We hope it will become a new standard for all online broadcasts for pool championships!

And of course, we encourage you to watch the broadcast and root for the athletes. Here’s the link.

Day 3 (July 8): Competition in STA

On July 8, the third day of the CMAS 14th World Championship Freediving Indoor in Belgrade, Serbia, athletes competed in Static (STA).

STA might be considered the strangest discipline to watch: athletes lie still on the surface with their faces in the water and avoid breathing for as long as possible. The athletes usually wear warm wetsuits and don't use facial gear so they can relax completely and let their bodies switch on the mammalian dive reflex (allowing humans to adapt to extended breath-holds). Some athletes manage to remain without breathing for quite impressive periods of time.

Short Summary of the Day

The Championship is arranged without a day off in the middle. Therefore, many athletes used the STA day to rest before the last day’s intense competition in DYN. Hence, the number of participants was much lower than on the two previous days. As usual at this Championship, the women started off the first part of the day, and then the men competed. Here’s a brief recap of the day:

• 67 athletes participated
• 5 received red cards
• Performances ranged from 02:06.44 to 08:58.95

At this Championship, STA was the only discipline with one undoubted leader among the women and men. Both athletes had a significant advantage against their competitors. While the women's competition unfolded more or less as expected, the men's event provided some unexpected surprises.

Winners among the women

The main intrigue among women was whether Heike Schwerdtner (DEU) would set a new STA World Record, improving the extraordinary result of 09:07 min she reached a week ago at the 32nd AIDA Freediving World Championship.

Heike held her breath for an impressive 08:51.03 minutes. That was not a new world record, yet it was enough to win the gold, leaving competitors more than one minute behind. Congratulations, World Champion!

The rivalry for the silver and bronze was less predictable, though. Julia Kozerska (POL), who set a new CMAS World Record in DNF on the first competition day, completed her attempt at 5 minutes and didn't show the surface protocol. The athlete probably decided to save her energy for the final competition day. Another strong athlete, Sylvie Gilson (FRA), whose personal best (PB) is 07:57 (CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championship 2022), also didn't hold her breath for as long as we expected, completing her performance at 06:23.

Yuriko Ichihara (JPN), in her second Championship in a row, consistently shows good results - 7:26 (at the 32nd AIDA Freediving World Championship, she held her breath for 7:36 min). Congratulations to the Vice-Champion! The next best result of 7:01 and the bronze medal belongs to Natalia Domashenko (SRB).

To sum up, the winners among women are as follows:

1st place - 08:51.03 - Heike Schwerdtner (DEU)
2nd place - 07:28.11 - Yuriko Ichihara (JPN)
3rd place - 07:01 - Natalia Domashenko (SRB)

Winners among the men

The competition among the men developed in a much more unexpected way. In the penultimate heat, Garikoitz Urkola (ESP) held his breath for 08:22.23. Then two other athletes - Aleksandr Maksimov (INT) and Vladimir Pogrebenko (INT) - held their breaths for 08:54.45 and 08:58.95, respectively. The results were impressive, but not PBs for both athletes. Probably, at the moment, neither athlete counted on a medal, as four men with much higher PBs were still to perform.

However, two of those four simply didn't start their attempts. It seems like Goran Čolak (HRV) decided to save his energy for the last competition day in DYN. Laurent de Beaucaron (FRA) dressed for the performance and warmed up...and then sat to watch how other athletes from his heat performed. It seems the warmup didn't go well.

So, the two final athletes remained to perform: Branko Petrović (SRB) and Eric Marchal (FRA). Branko - the current CMAS World Record Holder, 10:45 min - possibly didn't manage well with the competition anxiety and finished his attempt at 5:21.88. Eric managed his attempt with a much better performance - 08:03.05 - but it wasn't enough to land him on the podium. Eventually, he was ranked fifth in the discipline.

So the athletes from the penultimate heat stepped onto the podium:

1st place - 08:58.95 - Vladimir Pogrebenko (INT)
2nd place - 08:54.45 - Aleksandr Maximov (INT)
3rd place - 08:22.23 - Garikoitz Urkola (ESP)

Congratulations to the most persistent World Champions and awardees!

Now we’re ready for the last day - the most spectacular competition in DYN. Don't miss it! Here’s the link.

NEW WORLD RECORD IN DYN

On July 9, the final day of the CMAS 14th World Championship Freediving Indoor in Belgrade, Serbia, Mirela Kardašević (HRV) set a new absolute World Record in Dynamic (DYN), swimming 282m (925ft) with a monofin.

The previous absolute World Record in DYN of 277m (909ft) was set according to AIDA rules by Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) at the AIDA International Czech Championship in freediving 2022.

Then, at the CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championship 2022, Mirela set a new CMAS World Record in DYN with 275.36m (903ft). The performance brought her a gold medal and the World Champion title; however, the absolute World Record was still 1.64m (5ft) ahead.

Finally, in 2024, her dream came true - Mirela became the absolute DYN World Record holder, leaving her competitors 5m (16ft) behind! Congratulations, Mirela - it was a masterpiece dive!

Previously, Mirela was a nationally-ranked swimmer. But in May 2019, after a seven-year break from sports, she tried freediving out of curiosity and fell in love with the sport. That same year, Mirela participated in the European Outdoor Championship in Kaş and won two bronze medals (CNF and Jump Blue).

Since then, Mirela has been a consistent and devoted athlete, successfully performing at both pool and depth competitions and winning medals and world records. In particular, this record is Mirela's 14th World Record.

Talking about Mirela, we mustn't fail to mention her impeccable swimming technique! If you missed her dive, we urge you to watch it now - seeing a freediver swimming gracefully and with such technical expertise is a special aesthetic joy.

Day 4 (July 9): Competition in DYN

On July 9, the final day of the CMAS 14th World Championship Freediving Indoor in Belgrade, Serbia, athletes competed in Dynamic Apnea (DYN). The objective is to swim with a monofin as far as possible, and the athletes managed the task quite well, leaving the audience awestruck and inspired. The day was hot - not only because of the air temperature in the pool but also the breathtaking results.

Short Summary of the Day

First of all, we must draw your attention to how far the results have come in just a year since the Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023. In Kuwait, 10 men swam further than 250m (820ft), and in Belgrade - 13. Among the women, 10 women swam further than 200m (656ft) in Kuwait, and in Belgrade - 22.

Here’s a brief recap of the day:

• 178 athletes participated
• 14 received red cards
• 1 absolute World Record
• Performances ranged from 157m (515ft) to 300m (984ft)

Winners among the women

Among the women, the main leaders are the same as on the previous competition days in dynamic disciplines: Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL), Mirela Kardašević (HRV), and Julia Kozerska (POL). The question was if someone else could make their way onto the podium.

Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN), who performed before all the leaders in DYN, showed a great result of 256m (840ft) - white card and fourth place in the ranking by the discipline. Hanako Araki (JPN) also came close to the top five with 254.5m (835ft). Unfortunately, the athlete dipped her airways during the surface protocol and received a red card.

The fate of medals was defined in the last two heats. In the penultimate heat, Livia Bregonzio (ITA) and Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) swam side by side and showed impressive results of 263.5m (863ft) and 269m (883ft), respectively. Magdalena surfaced 8m (26ft) before her own absolute World Record of the moment but didn't have enough energy to keep herself above the surface and dipped her mouth in water - red card. On the contrary, Livia managed the surface protocol ridiculously smoothly, earning herself the bronze in the senior category and a new CMAS World Record in the Masters 50 - 59 category. It was Livia's second World Record in the masters category during the Championship. She set her previous record in DYNB, also winning the bronze in the senior category. This is incredible and truly inspiring - congratulations, Livia!

By the last heat, anxiety had reached a maximum, and it was the time for Julia Kozerska (POL) and Mirela Kardašević (HRV) to decide the fate of the Champion title. Mirela, with her elegant technique, swam much faster than Julia. She covered a distance of 282m (925ft) - 5m (16ft) further than Magdalena's world record of 277m (909ft) - and surfaced smoothly. Julia, swimming in a more relaxed and slow manner, replicated Magdalena's world-record 277m dive. She surfaced with clean protocol and turned to check Mirela's result. It's absolutely mindblowing how, in one heat, two athletes simultaneously reached and beat the DYN World Record.

So, the female pedestal in DYN was as follows:

1st place - 282m (925ft) - Mirela Kardašević (HRV)
2nd place - 277m (909ft) - Julia Kozerska (POL)
3rd place - 263.5m (865ft) - Livia Bregonzio (ITA)

Congratulations to the incredible women!

Winners among the men

The fate of medals among the men was much more complicated. For the first time since 2018, Alexey Molchanov (INT) participated in the pool Championship. His turn to perform came before all of the main favorites in the discipline - and Alexey performed. The athlete did a personal best (PB) of 281m (922ft) but outdid himself and didn't leave enough energy to complete the surface protocol. Nonetheless, Alexey was met with standing ovations and cheers, to which he replied with a dazzling smile - an example of true freediving acceptance of an unfavorable outcome.

Two heats later, Mikhail Briantsev (INT) swam a distance of 276m (906ft) and became a leader, but only until the following heat, where Rolando Salgado Martinez (CUB) and Mateusz Malina (POL) performed. Rolando, yet again, set a new PB with 278m (912ft) and became a new leader in the discipline. Mateusz swam much slower but sadly finished his dive at a distance of 254.5m (835ft), withdrawing from the competition for medals.

The heat after was also quite interesting to watch. Ming Jin (CHN) and Boris Milošić (HRV) swam comparable distances of 284.5m (933ft) and 271.5m (891ft), respectively, but Boris’s performance took one minute longer. In May 2024, Ming updated his PB in DYN by swimming 311m (1,020ft) with a monofin; however, the athlete has never performed a maximum dive such as this at the World Championships; with a single dive like that 311m performance, he could make the show much more thrilling.

The intensity of emotion was growing gradually. In the penultimate heat, Goran Čolak (HRV) covered a distance of 286m (938ft), which was 4m (13ft) less than his DYNB performance two days prior, but received a yellow card. The judges wanted to rewatch the footage of his dive to check if he touched the wall during the start.

Finally, the last heat - Mauro Generali (ITA) and Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) both covered the legendary distance of 300m (984ft)! Alas, it was slightly too much for Mauro, and the athlete blacked out for a second, resulting in a red card. Fortunately, Guillaume held strong and managed the protocol smoothly. Congratulations, Guillaume - and hurray to the World Champion!

And one more piece of good news - after rewatching the video of Goran's dive, the judges changed the yellow card to a white one. Congratulations to the Vice-Champion with a well-earned silver!

The male pedestal in DYN ended up as follows:

1st place - 300m (984ft) - Guillaume Bourdila (FRA)
2nd place - 286m (938ft) - Goran Čolak (HRV)
3rd place - 284.5m (933ft) - Ming Jin (CHN)

Even though the maximum performance in the men's race was much lower than the current DYN World Record of 321.43m (1,054ft) - set by Mateusz Malina (POL) at the CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championship 2022 - the average level of the performances was very high. This Championship saw a significant improvement in performance compared to the 32nd AIDA Freediving World Championship, the previous top-level competition of the season. While only two athletes surpassed the 250m (820ft) distance in the earlier event, 14 athletes successfully swam beyond 250m in this Championship.

Let’s celebrate!

On this note, the season of pool World Championships is over. Congratulations to all the Champions, awardees, and new World and National Record holders - everyone did an amazing job and earned every bit of our admiration!

We also thank all the judges and safety divers for taking good care of the athletes. Last, but not least, we greatly appreciated the organizers' incredible broadcast - it was very professional and entertaining.

And now...we celebrate!

On July 12 00:01 GMT to July 15 23:59 GMT we’re offering a 15% discount on everything on our website!

Prepare your shopping carts in advance and get the top freediving gear made by freedivers for freedivers at incredible prices.

Enjoy, and we’ll see you at depth at the next 33rd AIDA Freediving World Championship 2024 in Corsica!