World Apnea 2026: Malina writes another world record and Törőcsik wins at home

Mateusz Malina once again pushed one of world apnea’s most closely guarded records further. The Polish athlete reached 252 metres in Dynamic No Fins -DNF- on the second day of the World Apnea 2026 Pool Freediving Championships, held under the AIDA structure at the Duna Arena in Budapest, setting a new world record pending doping control results. The mark made him the first man to turn at the 250-metre wall in the discipline: five lengths of an Olympic pool, without fins, without propulsion aid and on a single breath.

The result extends a dominance that already belongs to recent freediving history. Malina has improved his own world record five times since 2014, with a progression of 226, 232, 244, 250 and now 252 metres. No one has taken the record from him in the last 12 years, only two men have ever gone beyond 240 metres, and the fourth-longest dive of all time, 232 metres, dates back to 2009. His was also the second world record of these championships, after the one achieved by Magdalena Solich-Talanda in Dynamic Bi-Fins on the opening day.

Malina, without expectations and with the water on his side

Malina explained after the performance that his dive lasted 4 minutes and 40 seconds and that, paradoxically, it felt “much easier” than the previous day because this time he had no expectations. “I was not stressed. Yesterday I was, but today I did not feel that stress, and that allowed me to produce this performance,” he said. The Polish athlete also recalled that he has been training in freediving since late 2008, that he set his first world record in 2013 and that, although he sometimes lowers the intensity, he never really stops training.

The new champion also praised the competition venue. He described the Duna Arena as an “excellent” Olympic-level facility, with three metres of depth, an even bottom and ideal conditions for swimming fast. “Everything is ideal,” he said, before highlighting the atmosphere, the friendliness around the event and an organisation he described as “excellent”. His gold completed the men’s podium ahead of French athlete Guillaume Bourdila, silver with 202 metres, and Germany’s Philipp Heinzelmann, bronze with 200.

Törőcsik responds at home after the first-day setback

If the men’s world record was the main headline, the emotional story of the day came from Zsófia Törőcsik. The Hungarian athlete won women’s gold in Dynamic No Fins with 207 metres, a national record under the AIDA structure and her personal best in this circuit, just 24 hours after losing her Dynamic Bi-Fins world record and receiving her first red card in a dynamic discipline. Her victory came in front of the home crowd and ahead of Solich-Talanda, precisely the athlete who had broken her record the day before.

Törőcsik admitted she was “very, very happy”, especially after the context of the previous day and in a season in which she had not trained much in the pool. She said the dive was “quite complicated”, with muscle fatigue and strong contractions, but that she found a way to keep moving forward by reminding herself that she could come up at any moment, even if she stopped after 150 metres. “That idea gave me a kind of freedom,” she explained. She also highlighted the value of competing in Budapest, where seeing her team working and her teammates competing at home gave her special strength: “This community gives us enormous power.”

Silver, bronze and new continental records

The fight for women’s silver was decided by the finest of margins. Solich-Talanda and Bevin Reynolds both reached 202 metres, but the Polish athlete took silver thanks to the accuracy of her announced performance, while the South African claimed bronze. Reynolds also added a new African and South African continental record in DNF, after having recorded 250 metres in Dynamic Bi-Fins the previous day, also as an African record, national record and personal best. “I’m exceptionally happy for both my performances yesterday and today,” she said, grateful to have been able to turn into competition the work of a preparation that included intense altitude training.

The day also produced a South American record for Nara Martins Ishikawa, with 170 metres, and 18 national records, 11 set by women and seven by men, in a discipline that featured 209 athletes. Reynolds also praised the Duna Arena and the organisation of the championships, saying she had felt safe, supported and clear about what needed to be done, when and how. After two days of world and continental records, competition will pause on 4 June and return on 5 June with Static Apnea -STA-, before the Dynamic Apnea -DYN- programme on 6 June. The championships will run until 7 June.