Only one world record was broken at the 35th AIDA Depth World Championship in Limassol, Cyprus, which finished yesterday (1 October), and it will be no great surprise that it was Russian freediver Alexey Molchanov, competing as a neutral athlete, who pushed the limits.
His latest achievement, a record set on 26 September, was the 40th of his remarkable 21-year career.
Molchanov added another metre to his previous absolute Constant Weight Bi-Fins (CWTB) record set last year, moving the mark on to 126m. The dive was completed on day four of the competition in what were described as ideal sea conditions.
In CWTB, athletes descend and ascend using only their fins, with no sleds or pulling on the rope. The discipline demands a blend of strength, control and breath-hold endurance, making it one of the most technically demanding.
Since 2023 Molchanov appears to have put clear blue water between himself and challengers for the CWTB title.
At previous AIDA Depth World Championships over recent years the freediver has set men’s world records every year but 2022 – the 125m CWTB dive in Corsica last year, two records in CWTB and Constant Weight (CWT) in Cyprus in 2023 and one in CWTB in 2021.
The only other male world record-breaker at the championships in that time has been Croatian diver Petar Klovar in Free Immersion in 2023, and it was Klovar who won the 2025 championship overall for his performances across the board.
As back-to-back overall champion, he won the Natalia Molchanova Award, named after Molchanov’s late record-breaking mother.
Molchanov came third overall in the competition, having suffered a minor blackout while competing in the CNF category but securing gold in the CWT and Free Immersion (FIM) disciplines. Omar Al Ghailani of Oman was second overall. Championship dives can be replayed at AIDA Freediving – YouTube
