10/07/2024
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𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝟰𝗧𝗛 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗢𝗥
𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽
𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱
On July 5, 2024, the CMAS 4th 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!
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!
