A final-day comeback for Reynolds and a championship-defining double world-record performance from Malina as the World Apnea 2026 Pool Championships conclude in Budapest
The World Apnea 2026 Pool Championships concluded with two very different championship stories. In the women’s competition, Bevin Reynolds (RSA) produced a remarkable final-day comeback to claim the overall title. In the men’s event, Mateusz Malina (POL) completed one of the most dominant performances of the championships, securing the Pool World Champion title alongside his second world record of the week.
Reynolds began the final day in second place, trailing Heike Schwerdtner (GER) by 6.6 points with only the closing Dynamic Apnea discipline remaining. She responded with the longest performance of her championship, covering 256 metres to establish a new African continental record and overturn the deficit to claim the overall title by more than twenty points.
The performance completed a remarkable championship for the South African athlete, who established three African continental records during the week in Dynamic Bi-Fins, Dynamic No Fins, and Dynamic Apnea.
Malina’s route to the title was emphatic. Having already won Dynamic Bi-Fins and set aworld record in Dynamic No Fins earlier in the championships, the Polish athlete delivered another extraordinary performance in the final discipline, covering 325 metres to establish a new Dynamic Apnea world record. It was his second world record of the week and the fourth world record of the championships.
The victory completed a near-perfect championship campaign. Malina finished on 539.4 points, almost 100 points clear of the field, and became the only athlete to set multiple world records during the event. Across four competition days, he claimed two world records,two discipline victories, and the overall Pool World Champion title.
Guillaume Bourdila (FRA), who entered the final day in second place overall, did not register a score in the closing discipline. Philipp Heinzelmann (GER) moved into the silver medal position, while Ming Jin (CHN) secured bronze.
Malina’s Dynamic Apnea world record ensured that every discipline at the World Apnea 2026 Pool Championships produced a world record performance.Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) opened the championships with a world record in Dynamic Bi-Fins, Malinafollowed with a world record in Dynamic No Fins, Heike Schwerdtner (GER) set a world record in Static Apnea with 9:39, and Malina completed the sequence with a world record in Dynamic Apnea.
WOMEN’S OVERALL RESULTS
Gold – Bevin Reynolds (RSA) – 420.2
Silver – Heike Schwerdtner (GER) – 398.8
Bronze – Nara Martins Ishikawa (BRA) – 393.8
MEN’S OVERALL RESULTS
Gold – Mateusz Malina (POL) – 539.4
Silver – Philipp Heinzelmann (GER) – 441.3
Bronze – Ming Jin (CHN) – 440.7
The final day alone produced five continental records and 34 national records, the largest single-day tally of the championships.
Across the four competition days, athletes established four world records, multiple continental records, and dozens of national records, highlighting the exceptional level of performance throughout the week in Budapest.
LOOKING AHEAD
The international freediving season now turns from the pool to the open water. The World Apnea 2026 Depth Championships will take place in Limassol, Cyprus, from 27 September to 10 October 2026.
FOUR WORLD RECORDS, FOUR DAYS, ONE UNFORGETTABLE CHAMPIONSHIP
World Apnea 2026 Pool Championships conclude in Budapest after a historic week of record-breaking performances
The World Apnea 2026 Pool Championships concluded in Budapest after four extraordinary competition days that delivered world records in every discipline, dramatic championship battles, and some of the finest performances ever witnessed in pool freediving.
Hosted at the Duna Arena from 2–6 June, the championships brought together 264 athletes from 60 countries and produced four world records,multiple continental records,and dozens of national records, highlighting both the depth and global growth of competitive freediving.
The opening day immediately set the tone for the week when Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) established a new Dynamic Apnea with Bi-Fins world record of 270 metres. The performance added another chapter to one of the sport’s most accomplished careers and marked her ninth world-record title in freediving competition.
The championships continued to build momentum on day two as Mateusz Malina (POL)extended his own Dynamic Apnea without Fins world record to 252 metres. Already considered one of the most dominant athletes in freediving history, Malina became the first athlete ever to reach the 250-metre turn in the discipline, further extending a world-record progression he has controlled for more than a decade.
Day three produced another historic moment when Heike Schwerdtner (GER) set a new Static Apnea world record of 9 minutes and 39 seconds. Since becoming the first athlete in eleven years to break the women’s Static Apnea world record in 2024, Schwerdtner has continued to raise the benchmark, steadily bringing the sport closer to the iconic ten-minute barrier.
The championships concluded with one final world record as Malina covered 325 metresin Dynamic Apnea, securing his second world record of the week and completing a championship performance that defined the men’s competition. Across four days, thePolish athlete claimed two world records, two discipline victories, and the overall men’s Pool World Champion title.
While Malina dominated the men’s championship race, the women’s title remained undecided until the final day. South Africa’s Bevin Reynolds entered the closing discipline trailing Germany’s Schwerdtner by 6.6 points before delivering a championship-winning performance of 256 metres in Dynamic Apnea. The dive established her third African continental recordof the week and completed a remarkable comeback to claim the overall women’s Pool World Champion title.
The championships also reflected the increasingly global nature of competitive freediving. Athletes established continental records across Africa, Asia, South America, and Oceania, while national records fell throughout the week. The opening day alone saw women set continental records on five continents, one of the most remarkable demonstrations of international progress ever seen at a pool championship.
| Among the many standout performances were home favourite Zsófia Törőcsik (HUN), who responded to the loss of her Dynamic Bi-Fins world record by winning Dynamic Apnea without Fins gold on home soil with a Hungarian record and personal best, and South Africa’s Fiona De Sousa, who joined Reynolds in contributing to a landmark championship for African freediving. |
| By the end of competition, athletes had produced: • 4 World Records • Multiple Continental Records across four continents • Dozens of National Records • 4 days of competition at world-record level The overall Pool World Champions of 2026 are: WOMEN Gold – Bevin Reynolds (RSA) Silver – Heike Schwerdtner (GER) Bronze – Nara Martins Ishikawa (BRA) MEN Gold – Mateusz Malina (POL) Silver – Philipp Heinzelmann (GER) Bronze – Ming Jin (CHN) |
| Reflecting on the championships, organisers praised not only the performances in the pool but also the spirit of the international freediving community. Athletes, judges, safety teams, volunteers, organisers, partners, photographers, media representatives, and supporters from around the world contributed to the success of the event, creating a championship defined as much by friendship and cooperation as by sporting achievement. As competition concludes in Budapest, attention now turns to the World Apnea 2026 Depth Championships in Limassol, Cyprus, from 27 September to 10 October 2026. The World Apnea 2026 Pool Championships will be remembered as a championship where records fell every day, champions emerged in dramatically different ways, and the global freediving community once again demonstrated the extraordinary limits of human performance on a single breath. |
| ABOUT THE WORLD APNEA 2026 POOL CHAMPIONSHIPS The World Apnea 2026 Pool Freediving Championships are taking place from 30 May to 7 June 2026 at the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary. 264 athletes from 60 countries are competing across four pool disciplines: DYNB, DNF, STA, and DYN. The championships are organised by AIDA International Federation for development of Freediving ABOUT WORLD APNEA World Apnea is AIDA International’s evolving public identity, following the convention of other international sports federations represented globally under the name of their sport. The competition portfolio under World Apnea includes the annual World Championships in pool and depth disciplines, alongside a growing program of continental championships – regional World Record-status events that bring elite-level competition to athletes across each continent. ABOUT AIDA INTERNATIONAL Founded in 1992, AIDA International is the world governing body for freediving and is headquartered in Switzerland. AIDA promotes the growth of freediving through competition, education, safety, and international cooperation. The federation brings together more than 60 countries and has sanctioned over 30 World Championships and more than 300 freediving world records worldwide. Text Credits: AIDA International Photo Credits: Effie Benjamin Video Credits: AIDA International |
