34th AIDA Freediving World Championship

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

Editor: Kristina Zvaritch

1. Preview of the World Championship
2. Day 1 (June 28): DYNB
New AIDA World Record in DYNB (female)
New AIDA World Record in DYNB (male)
3. Day 2 (June 29): DNF
4. Day 3 (July 1): STA
5. Day 4 (July 2): DYN
New AIDA World Record in DYN

Preview Of The World Championship

The second act of the freediving competition season — the 34th AIDA Freediving World Championship — starts on June 28, 2025, in Wakayama, Japan. Before covering the diving conditions and the participants, we want to go off on an artistic tangent about freediving in Japan.

Our short story is devoted to paying tribute to Japanese sea women, known as “ama.” In ancient Japan (927 AD, according to Wikipedia), women specifically were considered more skilled at freediving due to their ability to hold their breath and body structure (fat distribution). The ama dove for pearls and seafood, and that was their job starting at the age of 12 or 13 until 70 years old. It was a harsh and dangerous job, as ama had to dive almost naked into cold water and were threatened by sharks and other large creatures. Later, the ama began using white garbs, but eventually donned modern wetsuits.

Pool Condition And Competition Schedule

Fortunately, athletes arriving in Wakayama for the Championship will dive in better conditions, and all of them can wear wetsuits. The Championship will take place in the Akibasan Park Prefectural Swimming Pool. The pool is located in a big park in old Wakayama city with the following conditions:

• Lane length: 50m (164ft)
• Number of lanes: 9
• Lane depth: 2m (7ft)
• Water temperature: 28°C (82.4°F)

Freedivers will compete in four disciplines according to the following schedule:

June 28 - Dynamic with Bifins (DYNB)
June 29 - Dynamic without Fins (DNF)
June 30 - Rest/training day for freedivers
July 1 - Static (STA)
July 2 - Dynamic with Fins (DYN)

The winners of each discipline and of the Natalia Molchanova Memorial Award will be announced at the end of the Championship on July 2nd.

Competing Athletes

More than 200 athletes announced their participation in the Championship. However, not all the current World Champions and world record holders made it to Wakayama after the 2025 CMAS World Championship Freediving Indoor, which took place at the beginning of May. We’ll be missing the following athletes:

• Stéphane Mifsud (FRA) - the current absolute world record holder in STA with 11 min 35 sec (Individual World Record Attempt - MIFSUD Stephane in 2009)
• Mateusz Malina (POL) - the current absolute world record holder in DNF with 250m (820ft) at the AIDA Polish Freediving Pool Championships 2022), DYNB with 300m (984ft) at the 2025 CMAS World Championship Freediving Indoor, and DYN 326.5m (1,071ft) at the 2025 CMAS World Championship Freediving Indoor
• Mirela Kardašević (HRV) - the current absolute world record holder in DYN with 284m (932ft) at the 2025 CMAS World Championship Freediving Indoor
• Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) - the current absolute world record holder in DYNB with 263.64m (865ft) at the Kuwait CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023

Nonetheless, the competition for the titles and prizes still promises to be high; in each discipline, we have athletes with relatively close recently-achieved official personal bests (PBs).

Men

Among the men, the furthest official PBs in DYN and DYNB belong to Ming (William Joy) Jin (CHN) and Guillaume Bourdila (FRA), which are as follows:

DYN:

• Jin - 311m / 1,02 (UFC 8 AIDA, May 2024)
• Bourdila - 306.6m / 1,020ft (CMAS World Championship Kuwait 2023, May 2023)

DYNB:

• Jin - 287m / 941ft (Diving Republic AIDA Pool Series: The Return 2024)
• Bourdila - 285m / 935ft (CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship, May 2025)

However, you might recall that Jin’s performance wasn't quite up to his usual standard at the CMAS World Championship in Athens. It’s likely that the athlete was jet-lagged and tired after a long flight, and in a location closer to home, will be in better shape. If not, we'd say that Bourdila has the highest chances at winning the gold in DYNB. We're uncertain whom to bet on in DYN – Bourdila, who swam 312m (1,023ft) at the CMAS World Championship in Athens but blacked out, or Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE), who swam 300m (984ft) successfully and won the silver medal that day.

Then, in both disciplines with fins, Rolando Salgado (CUB) and Mikhail Briantsev (INT) follow. Salgado didn't perform in Athens; his official PBs from the previous season are 299m (981ft) in DYN (AIDA Tampa Bay Freediving Challenge 2024) and 266.5m in DYNB (CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship Belgrade 2024). Briantsev, however, improved on his DYN PB in Athens, swimming 286m (938ft) and winning the bronze medal. In DYNB, in Athens, he performed under 250m (820ft), while his PB in the discipline is 274m (899ft).

In DNF, Kai-Hsiang Chan achieved an official PB of 235.5m (773ft) at the CMAS World Championship, which earned him a silver medal. Following him in the competitor rankings are Guillaume Bourdila, with a PB of 227.52m / 746ft (CMAS World Championship 2023), and Francisco Quesada (ESP), who’s PB is 217m (712ft). Aliaksandr Zaikin and Rolando Salgado, both with PBs of around 210m (689ft), could also contend for a medal if one of the top three falter or opt out of participating.

In STA, there are two men who can hold their breath for 10 min and more - Florian Dagoury (FRA) and David Spreitz Elings (SWE). They’ll certainly compete for the gold; but who to bet on? Dagoury's personal best result is 10:30 (AIDA Thailand STA Competition, 2021), and Elings won the gold medal at the CMAS World Championship in Athens with 10:00. Then two men with PBs of 9 min+ follow: Ibrahim Al Sulaitni (OMN) with a PB of 9:22 (AIDA Private Static Attempt - Ibrahim Al Salatni) and Aleksandr Maksimov (INT) with a PB of 9:10 (30th AIDA Pool World Championship).

Women

The current absolute world record in DYN belongs to Julia Kozerska (POL), who, together with Mirela Kardašević (HRV), swam 284m (932ft) at the CMAS World Championship in Athens just a month ago. Kardašević isn’t competing in Wakayama, thus making Kozerska the clear frontrunner, especially considering her consistency and ability to deliver when it counts. However, Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) is close behind with her monofin, who managed 277.5m (910ft) at the CMAS Croatian Nationals earlier this year. And let’s not forget that she attempted 289m (948ft) in Athens, but unfortunately, blacked out at the surface. If she can execute a clean dive in Wakayama, she might stir the podium order.

Trailing the top two, we find Hanako Hirose (JPN), a local favorite with a solid 239m (784ft) PB from the CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship Belgrade 2024. Although her performance wasn’t made as recently as the top contenders, her experience and home advantage might give her the edge to push further. Natalie Bruce (UAS) and Heike Schwerdtner (DEU) also remain in the mix with personal bests of 234.5m (768ft) and 231m (758ft), respectively. Notably, Bruce attempted 261m (856ft) at the CMAS World Championship in Athens, but surfaced with a blackout, with ambitions that exceed her current PB.

In DYNB, Zsófia Törőcsik again leads with a powerful 250m (820ft) dive at the CMAS World Championship in Athens, positioning her as the woman to beat. Natalie Bruce follows with 240.5m (789ft) PB, also from the same championship. If she can manage her oxygen and pacing better than in Athens, we could see her challenge for the gold.

Yağmur Ergün (TUR) isn’t far behind with a 237m (778ft) PB (2024 CMAS Indoor Championship, Belgrade), and Mariko Kaji (JPN) with 232m / 761ft (AIDA Mabini Pool Challenge - I) will certainly have local support and strong motivation to climb the podium. Veteran Marianna Gillespie (FRA), though not recently active in the pool, still holds an official PB of 228.6m / 748ft (CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship Belgrade 2022). If she competes and is in good form, she could become the dark horse.

In DNF, Julia Kozerska dominates once again. She pushed limits with a 214m (702ft) dive in Athens that put her well ahead of the rest, setting a new absolute world record in the discipline. If she maintains form and energy, the DNF gold medal looks almost certain for her.

Zsófia Törőcsik remains Kozerska’s main rival here as well, with a respectable 200m / 656ft (2025 CMAS World Championship Freediving Indoor, silver medal). But unless she significantly improves, she’ll likely be fighting for silver or bronze. The next closest contenders are Mariko Kaji at 181m (594ft) and two more athletes with a tied distance: Alice Hickson (GBR) and Hyemi (Mimi) Kim (KOR) with 180m (591ft).

In STA, Heike Schwerdtner is the top name to watch, with her absolute world record of 9:22 (Stockholm Apnea AIDA STA WARS CO2 STRIKES BACK L1). Julia Kozerska, once again, shows up strong with an 8:10 performance made in Athens. If she converts this consistency across all disciplines into an overall standout championship, she could win the Natalia Molchanova Award once again.

Further back, the field tightens: Iiris Ala-Olla (FIN) posted 7:51, followed closely by Soonsook Chung (KOR) at 7:48, and Kathryn Nevatt (NZL) at 7:45 (New Zealand National Champs 2016). Nevatt’s form appears to be slightly regressing, as her last result was 7:30 at the AIDA Freediving New Zealand Pool Nationals 2024. But her experience (she’s been competing since 2005!) might still make a difference under competition pressure.

What’s Next?

We hope we’ve sparked your interest and that you won't miss the broadcast (available on AIDA International's YouTube channel). The show promises to be epic! 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 to catch our updates.

To make the Championship even more fun, we’re preparing a special offer, which will be launched on the first competition day and end on the final day. Follow our updates and 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 to 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 (recently updated!)

Day 1 (June 28): DYNB

June 28th was the first competition day of the 34th AIDA Freediving World Championship in Wakayama, Japan. Athletes competed in Dynamic with Bifins (DYNB), and the competition was anything but predictable or boring. Women and men competed together in the same heats, each involving six athletes. On the one hand, this allows the competition to finish a bit faster. But, on the other hand, we do not see the full picture of the athletes' performances. For example, we missed the surface protocol of Guillaume Bourdila (FRA), for which he received a red card.

In short:

• 196 athletes participated
• Realized distances ranged from 41m - 298 m (262 - 984ft)
• 27 red cards were issued
• 8 yellow cards were given
• 3 new AIDA World Records (pending)
• 8 new AIDA Continental Records (pending)
• 19 new AIDA National Records (pending)

You might remember the first rule of AIDA DYNB: you don’t do a dolphin kick (in CMAS, dolphin kicks are allowed within the first 3m/10ft when a freediver starts and after each turn). Strangely enough, among all 28 red cards, there was not a single card given for breaking this rule. The most common reason for a red card was dipping airways into water during the surface protocol, along with mistakes in the surface protocol itself.

The most common reason for a yellow card was when the realized performance fell short of the announced performance. And just on the edge of these two groups was Aleksandr Maksimov (INT), who swam the exact announced distance of 243m (797ft) — remarkable precision in the estimation of personal potential.

Below, you can find further details on how the events unfolded.

Winners Among The Women

According to our forecast, the main favorites in DYNB among the women were Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) and Natalie Bruce (USA). But the day started with a super-strong dive from Jiyeon Kim (KOR), who covered a distance of 232m (761ft), received a white card and set a new AIDA Continental Record for Asia. Until the 16th heat, there were only six successful dives that reached a greater distance, all of them belonging to men.

Zsófia swam relaxed and quite slowly with a nice finning technique. She surfaced quite quickly, looking fresh after such a huge dive, and showed clean surface protocol — white card! The performance exceeded the AIDA World Record of 243m (797ft) set by Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) in 2022 (AIDA Polish Freediving Pool Championships). However, it was too early to celebrate the victory, since in the second part of the day, we expected the performances of Natalie Bruce (USA) with personal best (PB) of 240.5m (789ft), Yagmur Ergun (TUR) with a PB of 237m (778ft) and Julia Kozerska (POL). Julia's PB in DYNB is relatively low — 225m (738ft), as it's not her favorite discipline and she doesn't often compete in it. Nonetheless, she's a strong athlete with great resistance to hypoxia (her PB in STA is an impressive 8:10 min), so she still could serve as a surprise.

Julia competed first among Zsófia's three closest rivals and finished her dive at 233m (764ft). Although she performed well and improved her PB by 8m (26ft), it was still less than Zsófia's impressive 259m dive and only 1m (3ft) more than Jiyeon Kim's result from the first heat.

AIDA Judge Yulia Marievich and athlete Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) Photo © Federico Buzzoni

Natalie Bruce (USA) and Yagmur Ergun (TUR) performed in the penultimate and last heats, respectively. Natalie showed an incredibly strong performance, surfaced hitting the wall, and showed a clean protocol while making recovery breaths. Congratulations, Natalie, on your dive of 249m (817ft)! The result was greater than the approved world record at that moment — the AIDA World Record of 243m (797ft) set by Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) in 2022, and even though Zsófia swam earlier and further, according to the rules, Natalie's result also will be recognized as a world record once it passes the doping control procedures.

Yagmur Ergun (TUR), however, wasn't so successful. She finished her dive at 208m (682ft) and received a yellow card, as the realized performance was 2m (7ft) less than her announcement.

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

Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) - 259m (850ft) - new AIDA World Record and World Champion
Natalie Bruce (USA) - 249m (817ft) - new AIDA World Record and Vice-World Champion
Julia Kozerska (POL) - 233m (764ft) - Bronze medal

Winners Among The Men

The competition among men was far more dramatic. One of the discipline favorites, Ming (William Joy) Jin (CHN) with a PB of 287m (942ft), competed in the third heat and surfaced at a distance of 258m (846ft). Although this was 29m (95ft) less than his PB, the performance was still quite challenging for Jin, and he showed obvious signs of an LMC, not being very stable during the surface protocol. As a result, the judges gave him a red card for dipping his airways into the water.

Nonetheless, even with the red card, Ming's performance remained the most notable among the men until the 18th heat, when Po-Yen Lee (TPE) swam 264m (866ft) and received a white card. This made him the leading contender for gold until heat 21, when his teammate Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE) overtook him by 6m (20ft), received a white card, and set a new AIDA Continental Record for Asia. However, despite the impressive result of 270m (886ft), Chan could not celebrate victory until the end of the day, when Guillaume Bourdila (FRA), with a PB of 285m (935ft), performed.

Athlete Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) Photo © Evgenii Sychev

And Guillaume performed! The athlete swam as far as 298m (978ft), which was 8m (26ft) further than the AIDA World Record set by Mateusz Malina (POL) in 2022. As we mentioned before, we unfortunately couldn't see Guillaume's surface protocol during the broadcast, as well as the judges who gave the athlete the red card! But having the world record at stake, Guillaume didn't give up and filed a protest. Fortunately, the protest was successful! Additionally, Guillaume's performance is now just 2m (7ft) away from the absolute world record in DYNB of 300m (984ft) set by Mateusz Malina (POL) during the 2025 CMAS World Championship Freediving Indoor. Congratulations, Champion, you did it again and we're rooting for your absolute world record!

By the way, Ming also protested the judges' decision and eventually received a white card. However, it didn't help him reach the pedestal; he was ultimately ranked 4th in the discipline.

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

Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) - 298m (978ft) - new AIDA World Record and World Champion
Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE) - 270m (886ft) - new AIDA Continental Record and Vice-World Champion
Po-Yen Lee (TPE) - 264m (866ft) - new AIDA Continental Record and bronze medal

NEW AIDA DYNB WORLD RECORD (Female)

On June 28, 2025, during the 34th AIDA Freediving World Championship in Wakayama, Japan, Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) swam 259m (850ft) with bifins and set a new AIDA World Record in DYNB. She surpassed the previous 243m (797ft) mark set by Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) in 2022 (AIDA Polish Freediving Pool Championships). While Magdalena still holds the absolute world record of 263.64m (865ft), set during the CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship 2023 in Kuwait, Zsófia’s performance marks a phenomenal milestone in her freediving career that has been developing at lightning speed.

Photo: © Evgenii Sychev

Zsófia discovered freediving by chance during a snorkelling trip to Malta in October of 2022. A Hungarian guide took her group to explore the famous P-31 shipwreck, and despite her background as a triathlete, Zsófia had always felt uneasy in the sea. That changed the moment she submerged and saw the wreck below. Drawn in by curiosity, she dove down, touched the boat, and waved at the scuba divers. That experience became a revelation: she had always sensed a special connection to water but only then realized she’d found what she’d been unconsciously searching for. Just a few months later, in January 2023, she began training, and by April, she entered her first competition in Hungary.

Over just two years, Zsófia’s freediving journey has been a whirlwind of triumphs and setbacks. She debuted at the 32nd AIDA World Championship in 2024, immediately making waves by finishing 5th in DYNB with 207m (679ft), earning silver in DNF and DYN with dives to 180m (591ft) and 250m (820ft), respectively. Her rapid ascent continued, but not without challenges. At the CMAS 14th Indoor World Championship, she blacked out just 3m (10ft) short of 200m (656ft) in DNF. Still, she bounced back; during the 2025 CMAS World Championship Freediving Indoor, she nailed that elusive 200m in DNF and became the fourth woman in history to achieve it. At the same CMAS World Championship, she earned bronze in DYNB with 250m (820ft) and pushed herself to an eye-watering 284m (932ft) in DYN, alas, falling short with another blackout, yet showing the world that greatness is within reach.

To sum up, within just two years, Zsófia progressed in DYNB from 207m (679ft) and Vice-Champion status to 259m (850ft) and world record holder status. We’re counting the days to the moment we can celebrate Zsófia as an absolute world record holder!

Congratulations, superstar!

NEW AIDA WORLD RECORD IN DYNB (Male)

On June 28, 2025, during the 34th AIDA Freediving World Championship in Wakayama, Japan, Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) swam a distance of 298m (978ft) with bifins, setting a new AIDA World Record in Dynamic with Bifins (DYNB). He surpassed the previous record of 290m (951ft), held by Mateusz Malina (POL) since 2022 (Bluego AIDA Mini Comp), by 8m (26ft). While Mateusz still holds the absolute world record of 300m (984ft), set under CMAS rules earlier in 2025, Guillaume’s performance places him just 2m (7ft) shy, making him Mateusz's main competitor in the discipline.

Guillaume’s path to the top is not a fairy tale. His success is the result of ten years of steady, devoted work and step-by-step progress. Born in Grasse in 1994, he discovered freediving in 2015 at the age of 21 while studying in the STAPS program. A summer job as a lifeguard sparked a playful challenge with colleagues to swim the longest distance in the pool on one breath. To his own surprise, Guillaume won and reached 100m (328ft) in just two weeks.

Encouraged by early success, he began training under the guidance of finswimming legend Michail Kitchev and later with Kevin Provenzani. In his very first year, he competed in the French Championship, finishing in the top 10. By his second year, Guillaume had earned a spot in the European Championships, swimming 182m (597ft) in DNF and placing him 5th in the world.

Since then, his career has included multiple world records: DNF WR of 236m (774ft) at the 2019 CMAS Indoor European Championship in Istanbul; DYNB WR of 274.70m (901ft) at the 2022 CMAS Indoor World Championship in Belgrade; and DYN WR of 301m (988ft) at the 28th AIDA World Championship in Burgas, also in 2022. With this new DYNB record in Wakayama, Guillaume now holds his fourth world record.

A rare and versatile athlete, Guillaume excels in all dynamic pool disciplines and also competes in open water.

Congratulations, Guillaume, Champion du monde! We can't wait to see your “further” and “deeper” progress!

Day 2 (June 29): DNF

June 29th was the second competition day of the 34th AIDA Freediving World Championship in Wakayama, Japan. Athletes competed in Dynamic with No Fins (DNF) — the most physically demanding and exhausting discipline. So it’s wise that the organizers chose the next day as the rest day for the athletes. The competition will resume on July 1st.

In short:

• 176 athletes participated
• Realized distances ranged from 53 - 240m (174 - 787ft)
• 24 red cards were issued
• 2 yellow cards were given
• 4 new AIDA Continental Records (pending)
• 19 new AIDA National Records (pending)

13 out of 24 red cards were issued for mistakes in the surface protocol.

Winners Among The Women

This time, the women were responsible for the main cliffhanger of the day, keeping us in suspense until the last minute. On the one hand, the absolute world holder in the discipline, Julia Kozerska (POL), is present at the Championship. On the other hand, freediving prodigy Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) is ambitious enough to challenge even the absolute world record holder. Julia set her absolute world record of 214m (702ft) and became the World Champion at the recent CMAS World Championship in Athens, Greece. At the same event, Zsófia became the Vice-Champion with a result of 200m (656ft), improving her previous personal best (PB) in DNF by 20m (66ft) in one go.

Do you see the tension here?

Julia swam four heats before Zsófia and confidently completed an impressive dive of 210m (689ft), just 4m (13ft) less than the absolute world record.

So, we held our breaths for Zsófia — would the athlete risk approaching the same distance or decide to play it safe? She played it safe! Zsófia surfaced at 203m (666ft), looking fresh and seemingly having the capacity to swim even further. The athlete showed the surface protocol and was waiting for the card with a smile. But the waiting time was prolonged, and her smile started falling... BOOM! Red card! To be honest, according to the broadcast, it's not clear what the reason was for the red card. But it is what it is — red.

During the next five heats, Natalie Bruce (USA), who performed alongside Zsofia but received the white card, ranked second overall with a result of 171m (561ft). Then Yasuko Ozeki (JPN) executed a successful dive of 175m (574ft), moving Natalia into third place.

The day could probably have ended there, but Zsofia filed the protest and won; her card turned white (as it should have been from the beginning).

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

Julia Kozerska (POL) - 210m (689ft) - World Champion
Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) - 203m (666ft) - Vice-Champion
Yasuko Ozeki (JPN) - 175m (574ft) - Bronze medal

Special mention goes to Heike Schwerdtner (DEU). Heike, in her mid-50s, holds the world record in STA with an incredible time of 9:22 (Stockholm Apnea AIDA STA WARS CO2 STRIKES BACK L1, 2025). Unlike other STA-focused athletes, she also competes successfully in dynamic disciplines. On this competition day, Heike swam 162m (531ft) without fins, received a white card, and set a new AIDA National Record for Germany. This result also became Heike's new PB, which improved by 3m (10ft) and ranked her 5th overall in the discipline.

Fun fact: among the men, there were only two athletes who managed to swim further than Julia and Zsofia. Keep reading to learn their names.

Winners Among The Men

A promising performance among the men already happened in the first heat. Ming (William Joy) Jin (CHN), whose PB is 206m / 676ft (CEMTA x SUPERHOME BEIJING POOL COMP, AIDA, 2021) and who dived to 204m (669ft) about 6 months ago (Diving Republic AIDA Pool Series: Diving into 2025), emerged at a distance of 180m (591ft). Although he was conscious, he decided not to perform the surface protocol at all. It seems the athlete was possibly disappointed with the dive, which was much less than his PB.

To witness a dive further than 200m (656ft), we had to wait until the 15th heat, when Po-Yen Lee (TPE) turned at 200m and surfaced at 202m (663ft), receiving a white card and setting a new AIDA Continental Record for Asia.

However, the record didn't last long. Already in the next heat, Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE) performed an incredible dive of 240m (787ft), and his result has also become a new AIDA Continental Record for Asia. Remarkably, the dive was 0.5m (1.6ft) longer than the dive of the absolute world record holder in DNF, Mateusz Malina (POL), who performed that distance during the 2025 CMAS World Championship Freediving Indoor. Mateusz still remains the absolute world record holder of 250m (820ft), set according to AIDA rules (AIDA Polish Freediving Pool Championships, 2022), but Kai-Hsiang is on his heels and we're rooting for him.

For the third 200m+ (656ft+) dive among the men, we had to wait until the last heat, when Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) performed. Guillaume swam 211m (692ft), which is below his maximum PB of 227.52m / 746ft (CMAS World Championship 2023), yet it was enough to stir the podium order and land him the Vice-Champion title.

Therefore, in our competition forecast, we accurately predicted two out of three winners among the men in DNF, which are as follows:

Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE) - 240m (787ft) - AIDA Continental Record and World Champion
Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) - 211m (692ft) - AIDA National Record for France and Vice-Champion
Po-Yen Lee (TPE) - 202m (663ft) - AIDA Continental Record and the bronze medal

On this, the first half of the 34th AIDA Freediving World Championship is over. We, along with the athletes, judges, and safety team, will be back on July 1st for the competition in STA.

Congratulations to all the athletes on new PBs, national records, and continental records — we can't wait to see the second half of this true fest of limitless freediving and human capabilities.

Day 3 (July 1): STA

July 1st was the third competition day of the 34th AIDA Freediving World Championship in Wakayama, Japan, where athletes competed in Static (STA). STA is usually considered a boring discipline, at least because no one moves for as long a time as possible. Therefore, the coaches try to entertain themselves and the audience how they can. For example, today, one coach wore a clownfish hood.

The AIDA surface protocol traditionally added more spice. Today, 20 red cards were issued, 15 of which were given for mistakes in the surface protocol.

In short:

• 162 athletes participated
• Realized time of a breath-hold ranged from 01:53 to 10:27
• 20 red cards were issued
• 2 yellow cards were given
• 4 new AIDA Continental Records (pending)
• 11 new AIDA National Records (pending)

The Winners Among the Men

The first contender for a medal among men appeared already in the fourth heat. Ming (William Joy) Jin (CHN), whose personal best (PB) in STA was 08:56, wasn’t one of the winners we predicted in our pre-competition forecast. He surprised everyone, and probably even himself, with a clean performance of 09:08, showed the surface protocol, and received a white card. It seems to be the first time Ming managed to improve his PB during a world championship performance. Being among the world leaders in freediving across all pool disciplines, Ming rarely performs at his maximum potential at the World Championships. On the previous competition day, in DNF, Ming completed his dive of 180m / 591ft (with a PB of 206m / 676ft) without the surface protocol, looking disappointed and sad. But at last, the athlete managed to achieve such a great result! However, since it was just the beginning of the day, it was still too early to celebrate a victory.

Already in the next heat, Florian "Mr. 10 Minutes" Dagoury (FRA) performed. His PB is 10:30 (AIDA Thailand STA Competition, 2021), and in the last training session before the performance, he managed to hold his breath for 9 minutes. As the athlete mentioned on his IG account, he expected a result between 10-11 minutes. In reality, Florian reached 09:31. When he finished his attempt, he took off his mask, made strong recovery breaths, and started to show the sign, but... with two hands. Then he realized the slip and completed the sign with only one hand. The judges decided that the mistake was worth disqualification for signing "I'm OK" twice. That must have felt so frustrating for the athlete, and actually, for us fans, as well.

On the bright side, Ming still remained at the top — until the last heat, when Aleksandr Maksimov (INT) and David Spreitz Elings (SWE) performed. David won the gold medal at the CMAS World Championship in Athens with 10:00, and he was our main bet in STA among the men. Aleksandr was a bit less successful in Athens and showed a modest result of 07:47, while having a PB of 9:10 (30th AIDA Pool World Championship). Even though 5 out of 8 athletes in the last heat finished their attempts before the 8-minute mark, and 3 of them received red cards for mistakes in the surface protocols, we were surprised to see Aleksandr floating still along with David. Eventually, Aleksandr finished his attempt with the result of 09:17 - white card and a new personal best!

David held out more than a minute longer and achieved an incredible result of 10:27! It became a new PB for him and a new AIDA National Record for Sweden.

Special mention goes to Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE), who showed a result of 08:41 and set a new AIDA National Record. In the overall discipline ranking, he placed 4th. However, we must remember that he also placed 1st the previous day in DNF with 240m (787ft) and 2nd on the first competition day in DYNB with 270m (886ft). Currently, Kai-Hsiang is leading overall and is the main contender for the Natalia Molchanova Memorial Award.

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

David Spreitz Elings (SWE) - 10:27 - AIDA National Record for Sweden and World Champion
Aleksandr Maksimov (INT) - 09:17 min - AIDA National Record and Vice-Champion
Ming (William Joy) Jin (CHN) - 09:10 min - Bronze medal

The Winners Among the Women

Some interesting events among the female competitors began unfolding in the 5th heat, although in a very predictable manner. Heike Schwerdtner (GER) — the absolute world record holder in STA with a result of 9:22 (Stockholm Apnea AIDA STA WARS CO2 STRIKES BACK L1) — showed a solid performance of 09:02 and secured herself the gold. Objectively, there was no other woman at the Championship (and perhaps in the entire world) who could challenge Heike with 9+ minutes. Congratulations, legend!

A very unfortunate and frustrating red card was issued to a woman in the 7th heat. Natalie Bruce (USA) achieved a respectable time of 07:03. However, during the surface protocol, she interrupted herself with a light cough caused by a laryngospasm while attempting to say "I'm OK" and had to repeat the phrase twice. The judges decided that this was also a sufficient reason for disqualification. Natalie even filed a protest, but it was unsuccessful. This judges' decision cost the athlete a new AIDA National Record and the opportunity to compete for the Natalia Molchanova Memorial Award (to accumulate enough points to win, an athlete must receive white cards in all disciplines).

The fight for another medal began in the 20th heat when Yuriko Ichihara (JPN) and Julia Kozerska (POL) competed. The athletes finished with only a 4-second difference. Yuriko posted a time of 07:52 and received a white card, while Julia held her breath for 07:48. However, due to an error in the surface protocol, Julia was awarded a red card. Her protocol was not visible in the broadcast, but Yuriko's celebration with her team was, and they had every reason to celebrate. First, Yuriko set a new AIDA Continental Record for Asia, and second, she could already count on a medal, as it was the penultimate heat. In the final heat, only one woman, who had an official PB close to 8 minutes, could challenge Yuriko's result. Iiris Ala-Olla (FIN) had a PB of 07:51, but after today, it became 08:03! Iiris's performance was also a new AIDA National Record for Finland.

Julia's red card turned out to be quite unfortunate. Even with a white card, she would have missed the podium but could still have competed for the Natalia Molchanova Memorial Award. Now, the overall leading athlete is Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN). As Zsófia once mentioned, she doesn't like STA, and the fact that she successfully participated in this discipline with a result of 05:48 — a new AIDA National Record for Hungary — shows her serious commitment to winning the award.

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

Heike Schwerdtner (GER) - 09:02 - World Champion
Iiris Ala-Olla (FIN) - 08:03 - AIDA National Record for Finland and Vice-Champion
Yuriko Ichihara (JPN) - 07:52 - AIDA National Record for Japan and the bronze medal

A NEW AIDA WORLD RECORD IN DYN (Female)

She did it again!

On July 2nd, at the 34th AIDA Freediving World Championship in Wakayama, Japan, Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) swam 280m (919ft) with a monofin and set a new AIDA World Record in DYN!

Zsófia improved the previous world record of 277m (909ft) set by Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) during the AIDA International Czech Championship in Freediving 2022. Zsófia only needs 4m (13ft) more to beat the absolute world record of 284m (932ft), which was jointly set by Mirela Kardasevic (HRV) and Julia Kozerska (POL) during the 2025 CMAS World Championship Freediving Indoor in May.

That day, Zsófia aimed to set an absolute world record by swimming an ambitious 289m (948ft), but alas, it was too much for the rising star of freediving, and she lost consciousness underwater.

This time, Zsófia played it safe and succeeded! And it became her second AIDA World Record in just 4 days! On the first day of competition, she set the world record in DYNB swimming over 243m (797ft) with bifins. This marked the first world record in Zsófia's three-year freediving career. But she didn't stop there — the next day, she won silver in DNF, participated in her least favorite discipline, STA, with a new National Record for Hungary, and finally, set another world record on the last day.

Such remarkable endurance and mindblowing progress! Congratulations to the freediving prodigy!

Day 4 (July 2): DYN

July 2nd marked the final competition day of the 34th AIDA World Championship, during which athletes showcased their skills in dynamic with monofin (DYN). The winner of the Natalia Molchanova Memorial Award was also defined, so it was a very exciting day for all those involved!

In short:

• 182 athletes participated
• Realized distances ranged from 124m (407ft) - 300m (984ft)
• 18 red cards were issued
• 1 yellow cards were given
• 1 new AIDA Wolrd Record (pending)
• 5 new AIDA Continental Records (pending)
• 20 new AIDA National Records (pending)

Remarkably, this was the second-largest day in terms of the number of participants and the day with the fewest red cards. Yet, 10 out of 17 red cards were issued for mistakes in the surface protocol.

The Winners Among The Men

The absolute world record for men, 326.5m (1,071ft), belongs to Mateusz Malina (POL), set at the 2025 CMAS World Championship Freediving Indoor. Based on this, we expected to see men on the podium with results over 250m (820ft) or even close to 300m (984ft). Already in the first heat, Ming (William Joy) Jin achieved a dive of 264m (855ft). Ultimately, he ranked 5th overall in the discipline. However, for the athlete, the result isn't as impressive as his personal best (PB) in DYN, which is 311m (1,020ft). Joy also holds the current AIDA World Record in the discipline at 307m (1,007ft).

The feat of hitting the pool wall six times on turns was accomplished by incredible Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE). He successfully completed the surface protocol, received a white card, and set a new AIDA National Record of 300m (984ft). For him, the distance isn't new; at the official competition, he swam the same distance just a month ago at the CMAS World Championship. That day, he became the Vice-Champion, missing Mateusz by 26.5m (87ft). This time, Kai-Hsiang became the World Champion, leaving his competitors 22m (72ft) behind.

However, the fight for the silver medal was really intense. On the last heat, Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) and Mikhail Briantcev (INT) were swimming side by side. Considering that Guillaume's PB in DYN is 306.60m (1,006ft), we assume most people expected him to finish much further ahead of Mikhail. But we were surprised to realise that Mikhail missed the silver only by 1m (3ft)! Congratulations, Guillaume, the Vice-Champion — we happily celebrate Mikhail's bronze!

In total, there were 13 athletes, among the men, who managed to swim 250m (820ft) and more.

The Winners Among The Women

The winners among women turned out to be much less predictable than we expected. Although in our pre-competition forecast, we correctly identified the main contenders for medals, we didn't foresee the situation in which the current absolute world record holder, Julia Kozerska (POL), would decide not to compete at all. Julia was very discouraged by her disqualification for a vague mistake in her STA surface protocol and the unsuccessful protest on the previous competition day. Therefore,she demonstrated her disagreement with the outdated AIDA rules by withdrawing from the participation. That was a big loss for the day, indeed.

So, Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) not only used her chance to win the gold but also set a new AIDA World Record in DYN, performing a clean dive of 280m (919ft). Congratulations, Champion!

The main contender for the Vice-Champion title was Natalie Bruce (USA). Five heats after Zsófia, Natalie reached the mark of 257m (843ft). At the beginning of the Championship, Natalia's official PB was 234.5m (769ft). At the CMAS World Championship in May, Natalia tried to improve it up to 261m (856ft), but blacked out. But the athlete slightly amended her target and successfully reached it, with the result also becoming a new AIDA Continental Record for North America.

However, in the penultimate heat, the local star with a solid 239m (784ft) PB from the CMAS World Freediving Indoor Championship Belgrade 2024 — Hanako Hirose (JPN) — performed. Hanako isn't the most consistent competitor, as very successful dives at her maximum often are followed by less lucky ones. But this time, fortune was on Hanako's side, and she completed a beautiful and strong dive to 269m (883ft)! This is a new PB for the athlete and a new AIDA Continental Record for Asia!

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

Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) - 280m (919ft) - a new AIDA World Record and the World Champion
Hanako Hirose (JPN) - 269m (883ft) - a new AIDA Continental Record for Aisa and the Vice-Champion
Natalie Bruce (USA) - 257m (843ft) - a new AIDA Continental Record for North America and the bronze medal

The Winners of Natalia Molchanova Memorial Award

The winner of the Natalia Molchanova Memorial Award among men became Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE) with an overall score of 509.2 points. Kai-Hsaing successfully participated in all the disciplines and won silver in DYNB with a result of 270m (886ft), gold in DNF with a result of 240m (787ft), became fourth in STA with a result of 08:41, and finally, won gold in DYN with a result of 300m (984ft). Incredible, and so well-deserved!

As you might guess, Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) became the second, and Po-Yen Lee (TPE) the third overall, with a total score of 473.9 and 450.6, respectively. Mikhail Briantcev (INT) has missed third place by only 2.1 points.

Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN) won among women! We can't be happier for the athlete, who worked so hard and wasn't discouraged by the setbacks or intimidated by more experienced colleagues. Zsófia's overall score is 440.6. It consists of a gold medal in DYNB with the result of 259m (850ft), a silver medal in DNF with 203m (666ft), and a gold medal in DYN with 280m (919ft). Heike Schwerdtner (GER) and Yuriko Ichihara (JPN) finished second and third overall with total scores of 406.9m and 388.4, respectively.

On this, the 34th AIDA World Championship is over! We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the organizers, judges, safety team, and media team (did you notice how nice the photos were this time and how quickly we saw them?!) for this sparkling freediving fest. It wasn't without its challenges, and there were some feelings of unfairness, but we believe the organizers did their best to provide an encouraging and supportive competition environment for athletes. And of course, congratulations to all the athletes! Thank you for your dedication and hard work — you are our inspiration and example!

See you next year!