AIDA and competitive freediving experienced one of the most extraordinary weeks in their history during the 2026 World Pool Apnea Championships, held in Budapest this past week. The competition brought together 264 athletes from 60 countries and produced a remarkable outcome: four world records in four consecutive competition days, alongside multiple continental records and dozens of national best performances.
The Duna Arena in the Hungarian capital hosted a championship that confirmed both the international growth of the discipline and the exceptionally high competitive level currently seen in freediving. Each of the four competition days concluded with a new world record, something unprecedented at an event of this kind.
Historic week for Poland
The first major performance came from Poland’s Magdalena Solich-Talanda, who set a new Dynamic Apnea with Bi-Fins world record with a distance of 270 metres. The achievement marked the ninth world record of her career and added another chapter to one of the most impressive résumés in the sport.
One day later, fellow Pole Mateusz Malina made history once again by extending his own Dynamic Apnea without Fins world record to 252 metres. Widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes in modern freediving, Malina also became the first competitor ever to reach the 250-metre turn in the discipline, further strengthening a progression he has led for more than a decade.
Heike Schwerdtner closes in on the 10-minute barrier
The third day delivered another memorable moment thanks to Germany’s Heike Schwerdtner. The champion established a new Static Apnea world record with a performance of 9 minutes and 39 seconds, moving even closer to the long-awaited ten-minute mark in one of freediving’s premier disciplines.
Schwerdtner continues a progression that began in 2024 when she became the first woman in eleven years to break the women’s Static Apnea world record. Since then, she has continued to raise the standard and cement her status as one of the sport’s leading international figures.
Bevin Reynolds claims the women’s title
The men’s competition was ultimately defined by Mateusz Malina’s performance on the final day. The Polish athlete covered 325 metres in Dynamic Apnea to secure his second world record of the week, claim two discipline victories and win the overall men’s Pool World Champion title.
The women’s competition proved far closer. South Africa’s Bevin Reynolds entered the final discipline trailing Schwerdtner by 6.6 points, but responded with a decisive performance of 256 metres in Dynamic Apnea. The distance earned her a third African continental record of the week and secured the overall women’s Pool World Champion title.
Continental records across five continents
Beyond the headline performances, the championship reflected the global expansion of competitive freediving. Throughout the week, continental records were established across Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania, alongside numerous national records.
One of the most symbolic moments came on the opening day when women established records across five different continents, highlighting the international development currently taking place within the sport. Among the standout performances was Hungary’s Zsófia Törőcsik, who responded to losing her Dynamic Bi-Fins world record by winning Dynamic Apnea without Fins gold in front of her home crowd while also setting a new national record.
The overall champions of the 2026 World Pool Apnea Championships were Bevin Reynolds (South Africa) and Mateusz Malina (Poland). The podiums were completed by Heike Schwerdtner (Germany) and Nara Martins Ishikawa (Brazil) in the women’s competition, and Philipp Heinzelmann (Germany) and Ming Jin (China) in the men’s event. With the conclusion of competition in Budapest, attention now turns to the 2026 World Depth Apnea Championships, scheduled to take place in Limassol, Cyprus, from 27 September to 10 October.
Last related articles
