CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championship 2021
Belgrade 2021
Asya Kleshchevnikova, Sports columnist,
Head of Customer Service & International Sales
asya@molchanovs.com
molchanovs.com
1.Preview of the World Championship
2. Pre-competition forecast by discipline
3. Day 1 of competition (23 June):
3.1. Starting protocols for DNF and Speed-Endurance 16x50m
3.2. Official results in DNF and Speed-Endurance 16x50m
4. Day 2 of competition (24 June):
4.1. Starting protocols for DYN BF
4.2. Official results in DYN BF
5. Day 3 of competition (25 June):
5.1. Starting protocols for STA and Speed 100m
5.2. Official results in STA and Speed 100m
6. Day 4 of competition (26 June):
6.1. Starting protocols for DYN and Speed-Endurance 8x50m
6.2. Official results in DYN and Speed-Endurance 8x50m
Preview of the World Championship
On June 22, 2021, the 11th CMAS Freediving World Championship will begin in Belgrade, Serbia.
It is the first world competition in freediving that will take place since the COVID pandemic began. Since 2019, there have been no world championships, neither in depth nor in the pool. In many countries, competitions are still forbidden, or can be held only with a limited number of participants. That is why this championship is so special.
Considering the current situation in the world, it is not clear how athletes have been progressing during these two years (2020-2021), what training opportunities they have had, and what results they have managed to achieve. In any case, the lack of experience participating in big competitions may cause athletes emotional issues, and in freediving, the ability to perform under pressure is important and should be trained regularly. Additionally, during these two years, new names in freediving could have appeared. These factors are what makes this championship is so unpredictable.
So, what do we know now? The championship will be held in Belgrade, in the same place where it was supposed to be held in 2020. The Serbian management team (headed by Božana Ostojić) has 15 years of experience in organizing freediving competitions (including 3 world championships), so we believe that this championship will be perfectly managed and that conditions for athletes will be absolutely favorable.
At the moment, 145 athletes from 25 countries have announced their presence at the competition. However, we will only know who the exact participants are on the first day of the competition, as it is not yet clear how many of them will actually manage to come.
Freedivers will perform in recreational sports center "MILAN GALE MUŠKATIROVIĆ" and conditions in the pool 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:
23 June - Dynamic without Fins (DNF); Speed-Endurance 16x50m
24 June - Dynamic with Bi-fins (DYN BF)
25 June - Static (STA); Speed 100m
26 June - Dynamic (DYN); Speed-Endurance 8x50m
The winners in each discipline will be announced at the end of every competition day.
Every day of the competition, we will remind you about the official broadcast of the World Championship (we hope there will be one!), and once official results are published, we will share with you the names of winners, the brightest moments of the day, and results of the following Molchanovs athletes:
- Mirela Kardašević of Croatia
- Vitomir Maričić of Croatia
- Budimir Šobat of Croatia
- Mai Morimura of Japan
- Mikhail Briantcev of Russia
- Rami Bladlav of Sweden
To make the championship even more exciting, we have decided that if one of our athletes sets a national or world record, we will celebrate it with a discount on the equipment that athlete used for their record. So stay tuned, cheer on the athletes, and don't miss out on news from Belgrade!
My name is Asya Kleshchevnikova and I am the author of these reports (with the help of the editor, Kristina Zvaritch). I have been writing about freediving world competitions for the Russian Freediving Federation for the past three years, but this is the first time I am writing about such an important event for the international Molchanovs community. I am very thrilled and excited about it!
If you support this initiative and like our reports, we will continue reporting on competitions with upcoming Vertical Blue (July 2021) and the two planned depth World Championships in Cyprus (September 2021) and in Kaş (October 2021). Please like, comment, and ask questions! Let us know if you want to read more about these competitions!
Pre-competition forecast by discipline
Imagine if we could choose only one freediver (among both men and women) to place our bets on in the 2021 CMAS Freediving World Championship. Which athletes would we choose? Here are our favorites in each discipline.
Dynamic without Fins (DNF)
In CMAS, DNF world records made in 25m (82ft) and 50m (164ft) pools are quite different. It is thought that better CNF results can be achieved in a 25m pool because of the many turns and pushes from the edge of the pool. Oddly enough, official CMAS records in a 50m pool are still comparatively higher, but that might be due to the fact that World Championships are usually held in 50m pools.
The current world record holder in this discipline is the French athlete Guillaume Bourdila (2018 CMAS World Champion in DNF and 2019 CMAS European Champion) with a 236m (774ft) record. The next competitor is Croatian athlete Vitomir Maričić, who has an AIDA official result of 240m (787ft) in a 25m pool. Another Croatian athlete, Vanja Peles, has recently set the CMAS world record of 220m (722ft) in a 25m pool. In addition, Olivier Elu of France, who is a 2016 CMAS world champion and record holder in DNF with a 189.65m (622ft) performance in a 50m pool, may be a contender for medals and a title.
We can also expect a surprise from Chinese athlete Ming Jin, who has recently become the Asian Champion in freediving with a 208m (682ft) dive in an AIDA competition.
Among women, the main contender for the champion status is the current world record holder in DNF, Croatian athlete Mirela Kardašević. Mirela has a recent record in DNF to 208m (682ft) set at the same competition as her teammate, Vanja. For the title, the three Polish athletes Magdalena Solich-Talanda (AIDA World Record holder with 191m/627ft), Julia Kozerska (2019 CMAS World Champion with 196.79m/646ft), and Agnieszka Kalska (personal best of 180m/591ft) will also compete.
Dynamic with Bi-fins (DYN BF)
In this discipline, we may expect a spectacular battle between some very strong freedivers, such as Russian athlete Mihail Bryantsev (2019 European Champion and 2021 Russian record holder with 253m/830ft), Croatian athlete Vitomir Maričić (the current CMAS world record holder with 264.70m/868ft) and Croatian athlete Boris Milošić (234m/768ft).
We will also keep a close eye on the performance of the new Chinese star in freediving, Ming Jin, who recently performed a 276m (905ft) dive with bifins in an AIDA competition.
Among women, the competition will be between the new CMAS world record holder in DYN BF from Italy, Cristina Francone (231.85m/761ft) who improved the former record by 85cm (2.8ft) in this discipline against Mirela Kardašević‘s previous record (231m/758ft). Their main rivals are the awardees of previous championships: Livia Bregonzio of Italy (personal best of 221.65m/727ft) and Magalie Siterre of France (personal best of 226.92m/744ft).
Static (STA)
This discipline is mysterious; we honestly do not know what to expect from athletes. The main favorite here is Branko Petrović of Serbia (CMAS world record holder with a performance of 10:45). Following him, a group of athletes with approximately the same results consist of Eric Marchal of France (second place in the 2019 CMAS European Championship with a performance of 9:01), Buda Sobat of Croatia (personal best and AIDA record of 8:95), Roman Gorbovtchev of Russia (CMAS Russian national record of 8:48), and Aleksandr Maksimov of Russia (AIDA Russian national record of 8:50).
Among women, 2019 CMAS European Champion in STA, Yuzhneja Gorelick, will not be competing, but awardees of the previous championships will participate. They are Sylvie Gilson (second place in the 2019 CMAS European Championship with a performance of 7:10) and Magalie Siterre of France (second place in the 2018 CMAS World Championship with 6:50), Katerina Šuranska of the Czech Republic (2018 CMAS World Champion with a performance of 6:53), and Agnieszka Kalska of Poland (personal best and AIDA record of 7:09).
Dynamic (DYN)
The absolute leader in this discipline and current world record holder Matt Malina (316.53m/1038ft) will not be competing. That is why the main contender for the champion title is the vice-champion in DYN, French athlete Guillaume Bourdila (284.85m/935ft). For silver and bronze medals, Croatian athlete Boris Milošić (261m/856ft), French athlete Olivier Elu (2018 CMAS World Championship with 255.2m/837ft) and Russian athlete Mihail Bryntsev (257m/843ft) will compete.
We are also very curious about the performance of Chinese athlete Ming Jin, who performed a 300m (984ft) dive during his training sessions.
DYN record holder among women, Cristina Francone (2021 CMAS world record with 261.4m/858ft) is expected at the competition. Therefore, she has the most likely chance of becoming the winner. Cristina's nearest competitors consist of one of her teammates, Livia Bregonzio (second place in Europe in 2019 with 250m/820ft), Mirela Kardašević of Croatia (second place in 2018 with 235m/771ft), and Polish trio Agnieszka Kalska (personal best and AIDA record of 253m/830ft), Magdalena Solich-Talanda (AIDA world record holder in DYN with 257m/843ft), and Julia Kozerska (third place in the CMAS European Championship with 236.2m/775ft).
Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen!
Competition Day 1
The start list of the first competition day in DNF are published, but the intrigue still remains!
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The start lists are organized according to the new CMAS rules, which means that athletes will perform in the order of their official personal best results - from weakest to strongest. We don't know in advance what athletes have planned, so we'll need to watch and see everything with our own eyes!
As we mentioned previously, competing in DNF are two French athletes, Olivier Elu and Guillaume Bourdila, and two Croatian athletes, Vitomir Maričić and Vanja Peleš. They will perform in the final "fantastic four." To see this epic battle, set your alarms at 11:27 a.m. local time (GMT +2).
Also, don't miss the performances of Molchanovs athletes:
- Mihail Bryntsev at 9:57 a.m. local time (GMT +2)
- Budimir Sobat at 10:27 a.m. local time (GMT +2)
- Mai Morimur at 10:37 a.m. local time (GMT +2)
- Mirela Kardašević at 10:57 a.m. local time (GMT +2)
The highly anticipated Chinese athlete, William Ming, Jin will perform in the same four with the strongest women in DNF, Magdalena Solich-Talanda and Julia Kozerska from Poland, at 11:17 a.m. local time (GMT +2).
We wish all the athletes luck, calm, and only white cards! Cheer on your favorite freedivers, they deserve our support and attention!
The video of the broadcast isn't available anymore but here is the sum up of the first day with the most important moments.
Official results in DNF and Speed-Endurance 16x50m
Day 1 of competition is over and the results of the DNF and Speed-Endurance 16x50m performances are in.
June 23 in Belgrade was a very hot day with temperatures reaching up to +40°C (+104°F). Due to the heat, athletes had to perform in rather tough conditions. However, it did not prevent them from achieving great results and showing us very inspiring performances.
Our forecast for the leaders in DNF was very accurate, and as predicted, the battle between the greatest men in DNF was truly unbelievable and intense!
The absolute leader in DNF among men is Vanja Peleš of Croatia. Vanja reached 226.3m (742ft), which is 26.3m (86ft) more than his competitor, French athlete and current world record holder in DNF, Guillaume Bourdila (200m/656ft). This performance resulted in Vanja becoming the new 2021 CMAS World Champion in DNF, along with setting a new national record for Croatia. Well done and congratulations to Vanja!
In third place, with only 1m (3ft) difference, is French athlete Oliver Elu (199m/653ft). Less than 2m (7ft) separated Molchanovs Ambassador Vitomir Maričić from the winners with a performance of 197.6m (648ft).
The performance of highly anticipated Chinese athlete William Ming Jin was not as successful, unfortunately. The athlete reached 166.6m (547ft), but blacked out on the surface and received a red card. It is his first World Championship, so it is possible that he succumbed to the pressure. We wish him better luck on his next dives!
Another Molchanovs Ambassador, Mihail Bryntsev from Russia, performed a clean and calm dive to 153.25m (503ft). DNF is not Mihail's main discipline, so we are looking forward to seeing more performances from him.
We also would like to congratulate Samo Jeranko of Slovenia and Nenad Pavković of Serbia with new national records! For Slovenia, the National CMAS record in DNF is now 177.6m (583ft), and for Serbia, 174.4m (572ft).
The first among women is Croatian athlete Mirela Kardašević with a 191m (627ft) performance, setting a new national record for Croatia and earning her the title of 2021 CMAS World Champion in DNF. Her performance is followed by two Polish athletes, Magdalena Solich-Talanda with 189.45m (622ft) and Julia Kozerska with 169.6m (556ft). Congratulations to the winners!
Molchanovs Mentee from Japan, Mai Morimura, did a beautiful dive with very good technique to 156m (512ft), but blacked out on the surface. This Championship is the first for Mai, so it is understandable, and we wish her success on her next dives. Good luck, Mai!
An athlete from Ecuador, María Verónica Cordova Mancheno, made a successful 141.1m (463ft) dive and set the new 2021 CMAS Panamerican record. Additionally, an athlete from Colombia, Angie Daniela Zuluaga Guerrero, reached 125m (410m) and set a new Colombian national record.
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- 1st place - Denis Arshanov of Russia with 09:58
- 2nd place - Angelo Sciacca of Italy with 10:28.31
- 3rd place - Mikhail Lapshin of Russia with 10:47.3
The women’s pedestal is as follows:
- 1st place and new 2021 CMAS World Record - Evgeniia Kozyreva of Russia with 10:41.120
- 2nd place - Anastasiia Zhatkina of Russia with 12:16.96
- 3rd place - Anastasiia Beletskaia of Russia with 13:24.98
A big congratulations to all of the athletes! Thank you for the competitive drive and inspiration; we are looking forward to seeing what comes next!
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Competition Day 2
On June 24, 2021 in Belgrade, competition day 2 of the 2021 CMAS World Championship DYN BF will be held.
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Today, the strongest athletes will still compete in the last 2 fours and Chinese athlete William Ming Jin will perform alone at the end at 11:40 a.m. local time (GMT +2).
Make sure you will be online at 11:20 a.m. local time (GMT +2) on June 24 to see the dives of:
- Mihail Bryantsev of Russia (2019 European Champion and 2021 Russian record holder with 253m/830ft)
- Magalie Siterre of France (personal best of 226.92m/744ft)
- Bilge Cingigiray of Turkey (our apologies, we do not know if 225m/735ft on the start list is Bilge's personal best or her announcement; we have only managed to find her official result of 204m/669ft).
A new athlete also emerged, Lisa Benben Zhang of China, who will compete in the CMAS World Championship for the first time. Unfortunately, we did not manage to find information about Lisa’ personal best performance, but the number 225m/738ft in front of her name makes her performance highly anticipated.
At 11:30 a.m., the following athletes will compete for the title of the CMAS World Champion:
- Boris Milošić of Croatia (personal best of 234m/768ft)
- Vitomir Maričić of Croatia (the current CMAS world record holder with 264.70m/868ft)
- Cristina Francone of Italy (the current CMAS world record holder 231.85m/761ft)
- Mirela Kardašević of Italy (former CMAS world record holder 231m/758ft)
All the athletes have very close results, and as day 1 of competition has shown us, are all in very good shape. The rivalry continues! Cheer on your favorite!
Watch a highlights of day 2 of the competition here:
Official results in DYN BF
Day 2 of the competition is over and the results of the DYN BF performances are in.
On this second day of competition, we expected the excitement from the first day of the competition to subside, however, the intensity of emotions on the second day most definitely eclipsed the first.
Right in the beginning of the competition, during the third round of performances, an athlete from Ecuador, María Verónica Cordova Mancheno, achieved a white card with her dive to 209.25m (687ft), and became the new CMAS Panamerican record. This put her in the lead for the title until the very last rounds of performances. On the 15th round, French athlete Magalie Siterre attempted to beat Mancheno’s record, but blacked out at 213m (699ft). Only in the 16th round was the Ecuadorian athlete’s record surpassed: the two strongest women in DYN BF, Mirela Kardašević of Croatia and Cristina Francone of Italy, simultaneously beat Mancheno’s record. Mirela covered 232m (761ft) of distance and Cristina went 2.7m (9ft) further, making her the new 2021 CMAS World Record holder in DYN BF and the World Champion. It was an incredible performance and we congratulate all the winners!
In addition, four women set new national records for their countries:
- Kateryna Sadurska of Ukraine with 183.6m (602ft)
- Almudena Calvo Blanco of Spain with 177.2m (581ft)
- Tijana Nikolic of Serbia with 175.6m (576ft)
- Stephanie Rendl of Germany with 152.7m (501ft)
Congratulations to all the new national record holders!
Among the men, all of the most epic performances were saved for last. Two Molchanovs ambassadors, Mihail Bryantsev of Russia and Vitomir Maričić of Croatia, performed approximately the same distance - a bit more than 254m (833ft), with only a 10cm/4in difference that made Vitomir the new 2021 CMAS World Champion with Mihail as Vice-Champion with a new Russian national record.
The last to dive belonged to Chinese athlete William Ming Jin, who currently has the unofficial record in this discipline with 276m/906ft (his record is unofficial due to the competition the dive was made in not having World Record status; the current official CMAS world record in DYN BF belongs to Vitomir Maričić with 264.70m/868ft). Perhaps William is still struggling with nerves during the World Championship, as his exit at 250m (820ft) was not very confident. However, it was clean enough for the white card and earned him third place in the World Championship.
Two men also set national records for their countries:
- Oleksiy Demirskyy of Ukraine with 204m (669ft)
- Klaus Kasten of Germany with 188.7m (619ft)
Congratulations to the men of the 2021 CMAS World Championship, and we thank you for a very intense exhibition! It was only the second day of the World Championship, and we have two more days to go! Are you looking forward to seeing what will happen next? Stay tuned!
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Competition Day 3
On June 25, 2021 in Belgrade, competition day 3 of the 2021 CMAS World Championship STA and Speed 100 will be held.
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STA is the only discipline where athletes can either make an announcement of their performance or choose to declare their personal best. Both numbers are stated in the last column of the start list under “Target Time.” Compared to the start lists of the 2 previous days, there are 3 additional columns that contain the times that the safety team should check on the athlete.
According to the CMAS rules, the first signal should be given one minute before the target time (announced performance or PB), the second should be given 30 (thirty) seconds before the target time, and the third signal at 15 (fifteen) seconds before the target time, with the last signal being given at the actual target time. After the target time is reached and for every 15 (fifteen) seconds the performance continues, signals are given.
In addition, STA women and men will compete separately. Women will perform first with their performances organized from the shortest target time to the longest (from 3:00 to 6:07). Then it’s the men’s turn, with performances ranging from 2:58 to 10:45!
Among the strongest men who announced a target time of over 9:00 are Molchanovs ambassadors Budimir Buda Šobat of Croatia (target time of 9:00) and Rami Bladlav of Sweden (target time 9:04). The longest target time belongs to Branko Petrovic of Serbia, who is announcing 10:45!
It is unlikely that anyone will be able to compete with Branko for the title of the CMAS World Champion in STA, however, there may be a fierce battle for second and third place between a group of athletes whose official personal best performances are all over 8:45. They are Aleksandr Maksimov and Roman Gorbovtchev of Russia, Eric Marchal of France, Budimir Šobat and Vitomir Maričić of Croatia, and Valdemar Karlson and Rami Bladlav of Sweden.
Be sure not to miss it! Get online and let's hold our breaths with the athletes!
Watch a highlights of day 3 of the competition here:
Official results in STA and Speed 100m
The third day of competition is over! Here are the results.
Our STA forecast was not as accurate as our previous competition day forecasts; the day was full of surprises.
In STA, the women and men competed separately. From the very beginning, the women had some very high performances (we are guessing everyone had plenty of free time to train STA during lockdown). Eight women managed to hold their breath for over 7:00. There was only a 13 second difference between 3rd and 7th place, with only a tenth of a second difference between 5th and 6th! The winners of this intense fight are:
- 1st place and the new 2021 CMAS French National Record - Sylvie Gilson (8:06:365)
- 2nd place - Beatrice Rouvier of France (7:32:270)
- 3rd place and the new 2021 CMAS German National Record - Heike Schwerdtner (7:08:215)
Lisa Benben Zhang fought hard for the title of 2021 CMAS World Champion in STA, but unfortunately lost consciousness at 8:16:815. Catherine Glon also had a chance to become the third French athlete on the podium, but regrettably went beyond her capabilities and experienced a blackout at 7:44.
These women have set 5 new CMAS national records for their countries:
- Isabel Sanchez Aran of Spain - 07:01.325
- Kateryna Sadurska of Ukraine - 07:01.245
- Agnieszka Kalska of Poland - 06:55.845
- Maria Veronica Cordova Mancheno of Ecuador - 06:37.665 (new Panamerican record)
Unfortunately, the strongest athlete in STA among men, Branko Petrović of Serbia, did not manage to take part in the competition due to falling ill. Several other strong athletes also did not perform today in order to get ready for tomorrow’s competition in DYN.
That is why the rivalry between men was not as fierce as expected. Nevertheless, there were some strong performances:
- 1st place and new 2021 CMAS French National Record - Eric Marchal (9:28.805)
- 2nd place and new 2021 CMAS Russian National Record - Aleksandr Maksimov (08:53.795)
- 3rd place - Alan Pavlič of Slovenia (08:31.600)
The new 2021 CMAS national record holders of their countries are:
- Kanstantsin Kliots of Belarus (07:17.880)
- Roman Mishyn of Ukraine (06:45.260)
- Hasan Al-Sharrah of Kuwait (06:36.435)
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Today’s athletes also competed in Speed Apnea, and attempted to swim 100m (328ft) underwater as fast as possible. So far, the current gold medals in both Speed and Endurance Apnea for this year’s World Championship belong to Russian athletes.
Winners among the women are as follows:
- 1st place - Vera Iarovitskaia of Russia (00:36.690)
- 2nd place - Erica Barbon of Italy (00:37.390)
- 3rd place - Yelyzaveta Vakareva of Ukraine (00:38.820)
Winners among the men are all from Russia and are as follows:
- 1st place - Stepan Vorobyev (00:31.290)
- 2nd place - Denis Arshanov (00:32.240)
- 3rd place - Vitalii Grachev (00:33.650)
A big congratulations to all of the athletes! We are looking forward to seeing some competition in the “lengthiest” discipline of DYN tomorrow!
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Competition Day 4
June 26, 2021 in Belgrade is the last day of competition for the 2021 CMAS World Championship! Athletes will compete in DYN and Speed-Endurance 8*50.
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The most intriguing part of the day will be witnessing if William Ming Jin of China manages to swim an unbelievable 300m (984ft) underwater with a monofin. Good luck, William! We are holding our breaths for you!
William Ming Jin will dive in the last round of performances at 11:50 a.m. local time (GMT +2) with the world’s best athletes in this discipline:
- Boris Milosic of Croatia (personal best of 261m/856ft)
- Guillaume Bourdila of France (personal best of 284.85m/935ft)
- Christina Farcone of France (the strongest women in DYN with the 2021 CMAS world record with 261.4m/858ft)
Other contenders for the silver and bronze medals are French athlete Olivier Elu (2018 CMAS World Championship with 255.2m/837ft), Russian athlete Bryantsev Mihail (257m/843ft), and Croatian athletes Vitomir Maričić and Vaja Peleš, who will compete in 16th and 17th rounds. The athlete’s official TOPs are 11:30 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. (GMT +2).
Among the women, Cristina's nearest competitors consist of one of her teammates, Livia Bregonzio (second place in Europe in 2019 with 250m/820ft), Mirela Kardašević of Croatia (second place in 2018 with 235m/771ft), and Polish trio Agnieszka Kalska (personal best and AIDA record of 253m/830ft), Magdalena Solich-Talanda (AIDA World Record holder in DYN with 257m/843ft), and Julia Kozerska (third place in the CMAS European Championship with 236.2m/775ft). The official TOP for the women will be at 11:20 a.m. (GMT +2) in the 15th round of performances, and then they will also perform at 11:30 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. (GMT +2) together with the men.
The battle is coming, don't miss it! Set your alarms and be online to cheer on your favorite athletes!
Watch a highlights of day 4 of the competition here:
Official results in DYN and Speed-Endurance 8*50
The 11th CMAS World Championship in Belgrade is over, and we have the results of the last competition day and a short summary of the entire event.
On June 26, athletes competed in DYN, perhaps the most appealing discipline, that requires swimming in the style of a dolphin to unbelievable distances.
Except for Italian athlete Alessia Zecchini, all of the strongest women in DYN took part in the competition. It was possible to define who the favorites were, but almost unreal to guess who might be the winners, and the strongest women were struggling until the very end. Starting with the 13th (out of 18) round of performances, the women started giving us an inkling of who the top performers might be, but with every following round, the numbers rose higher. In the 15th round of performances, Croatian athlete Mirela Kardašević turned at 250m (820ft) and finished at 256.08m (840ft), hinting at her as the possible winner. In the next round, one of Mirela’s main competitors, Julia Kozerska of Poland, lost consciousness at 250m, and Mirela’s other competitor, Livia Bregonzio of Italy, also blacked out at 255m (837ft). In the second to last round, the other two Polish athletes had successful dives: Agnieszka Kalska reached 236.20m (775ft) and Magdalena Solich-Talanda succesfully completed an unbelievable distance of 265.70m (872ft). In the last round, however, world record holder Cristina Francone of Italy finished her dive at 262.70m/862ft (1m/3ft further than her own world record), but unfortunately blacked out.
As a result, Magdalena became the World Champion and the new 2021 CMAS World Record Holder in DYN. Mirela received the silver medal and Agnieszka received the bronze.
Conversely, the competition among the men was less dramatic and intense than among the women. This was mainly due to the fact that 8 out of the 10 strongest athletes in DYN, such as the current world record holder Matt Malina, ex-world record holder Goran Čolak, and the entire male Italian team, did not participate in the championship. In this competition, the only leaders of this discipline were Guillaume Bourdila of France and William Ming Jin of China. The main struggle was thought to be for second and third place.
The competition became even less conspicuous when the two Croatian champions of previous days, Vanja Peleš and Vitomir Maričić, withdrew from the race. Vanja finished his dive at 100m (328ft) and Vitomir decided not to perform at all. This explains why, in this discipline, the women’s results surpassed the men’s up until the last round of performances, when only 3 men dived further than 250m (820ft). Those athletes were were Samo Jeranko of Slovenia (256.6m/842ft), Olivier Elu of France (258.7m/849ft), and Mikhail Briantcev of Russia (264.4/867ft).
Two leading male athletes competed in the final round of performances. William Ming Jin of China swam rather fast and finished confidently at 286m (938ft), however, made a serious mistake during the surface protocol by holding onto the pool edge, which resulted in his disqualification. Guillaume Bourdila of France dived in a slower and more relaxed manner to 278.2m (913ft) and managed to complete the surface protocol successfully, which resulted in him becoming the Champion! The calm and precise performance of Mikhail Briantcev earned him the title of Vice-Champion, with Oliver Elu placing third.
We would like to give a big congratulations and a tremendous round of applause to Molchanovs Ambassadors Mirela Kardašević and Mikhail Briantcev on the silver medals they earned for their performances in DYN!
There were also many new national records:
- Lisa Benben Zhang of China (228.30m/749ft)
- Magalie Siterre of France (226.69m/744ft)
- Katerina Sadurska of Ukraine (215.20m/706ft)
- María Verónica Cordova Mancheno of Ecuador (200m/656ft and the new CMAS Panamerican record)
- Im Yeonju of South Korea (182.42m/598ft)
- Stephanie Rendl of Austria (177.83m/583ft)
- Alexender Zaikin of Belarus (220.5m/723ft)
- Oleksiy Demirskyy of Ukraine (210.05m/689ft)
- Klaus Kasten of Germany (206.34m/677ft)
- Abdulrahman Alrashidi of Kuwait (160.25m/526ft)
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The Championship finished with Speed-Endurance 8x50 (where athletes swim a length of a 50m/164ft pool eight times and in as fast a time as possible). In this discipline, the absolute leader was, again, the Russian team.
The men’s pedestal is as follows:
- 1st place - Denis Arshanov of Russia with 03:45.09
- 2nd place - Angelo Sciacca of Italy with 04:02.47
- 3rd place - Stepan Vorobyev of Russia with 04:20.24
The women’s pedestal is as follows:
- 1st place and new 2021 CMAS World Record - Evgeniia Kozyreva of Russia with 04:37.71
- 2nd place - Erica Barbon of Italy with 4:38.43
- 3rd place - Anastasiia Zhatkina of Russia with 4:54.24
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This was the result of a decision made by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), which was approved on December 9th, 2019.
Nevetheless, the general atmosphere of the Championship was so welcoming and friendly that the Russian team managed to overcome their disappointment and became the overall winner in the team classification with 6 gold, 5 silver, and 5 bronze medals in total.
The national team of France came in second place with 3 gold, 2 silver, and 7 bronze medals.
Croatia’s national team followed in third place with 3 gold and 2 silver medals.
Hurray, freedivers! The 11th CMAS World Championship has come to a successful conclusion! We value all of the tremendous work and labor spent on its organization. Endless hours of training sessions have been paid off with medals and new official personal best records. We want to give a big thank you to all the athletes; you are our inspiration and motivation to work hard until the very end (and then a bit more)!
See you at Vertical Blue! Stay tuned!
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