Molchanov sets 137-metre world record at freediving championships in Limassol

Limassol, Cyprus. Alexey Molchanov descended to 137 metres on the final competition day of the World Apnea 2026 Depth World Championships, setting a new AIDA world record and becoming the first person to reach that depth in Limassol’s waters. The dive also secured him the men’s overall world championship title.

Molchanov sets new depth record

The dive marked the seventh time Molchanov has broken the world record he has held since 2012. He has established more than 40 freediving world records during his competitive career.

Petar Klovar of Croatia took silver in the final-day men’s competition with a dive to 125 metres, while Brad Stephens of the United States won bronze with 115 metres.

The result continued the competitive rivalry between Molchanov and Klovar, who has recently broken some of Molchanov’s long-standing records. Klovar’s 125-metre performance was among the deepest dives of the competition.

Torocsik wins women’s FIM title with world record

Earlier in the women’s competition, Hungary’s Zsofia Torocsik set a new FIM world record of 108 metres, becoming the women’s FIM world champion.

Her performance and Molchanov’s final-day dive provided two world records at the championships in Limassol.

Men’s overall standings

Across the competition’s four disciplines, Molchanov accumulated 484 points, finishing 11 points ahead of Klovar, who took the overall silver medal with 473 points.

Omar Al Ghailani of Oman completed the overall podium with 407 points. Stephens finished fourth overall with 399 points, while Jihoon Jang of South Korea rounded out the top five with 350 points.