Croatian Mirela Kardašević sets new freediving world record

Mirela Kardašević (Photo: Private album)

From 4th to 10th July 2024, Belgrade hosted the CMAS World Pool Freediving Championship.

Over 150 athletes from more than 40 countries participated in this prestigious competition, with Croatia’s Mirela Kardašević standing out by winning three medals and setting a new world record.

She won a gold medal with a new world record in dynamic apnea with a monofin (282 metres), a silver medal in dynamic apnea with bifins (260 metres), and a silver medal in dynamic apnea without fins (209 metres).

(Photo: Private album)

Vanja Peleš also competed at the World Championship, winning a silver medal in dynamic apnea without fins with 216 metres, while Goran Čolak secured a silver medal in dynamic apnea with a monofin with 285 metres.

(Photo: Private album)

Mirela Kardašević emerged as the most successful athlete at the World Championship, winning the most medals and setting a new world record in her category.

“The World Pool Championship in Belgrade has concluded, and I am very satisfied with the results, as all three are my best personal results to date. I hoped for slightly better results in the first two disciplines, but considering I haven’t competed at the World Championship for two years, I must be modest and grateful for what I achieved, especially on the last day when the stress was at its peak, and I surprised myself with this record.

(Photo: Private album)

Despite all the difficulties and stress my colleagues and I have faced over the last two to three months due to the suspension, achieving these results is a great accomplishment and once again shows that Croatia is among the strongest countries in the world in freediving.

We owe all of this to our coach, Ivan Drviš, who kept us motivated despite numerous obstacles, and thanks to him, we have achieved outstanding results again,” said Mirela Kardašević.

(Photo: Private album)

With these results, our divers have qualified for the World Games in China next year. The World Games 2025 will be held from 7th to 17th August in Chengdu, and for the first time, freediving will be included as part of the athletic programme. The competitions will be under the auspices of CMAS, the global governing body for sports diving.

(Photo: Private album)

It is worth noting that Mirela Kardašević, along with nine other top athletes and coaches, was recently suspended by the Croatian Diving Federation.

(Photo: Private album)

This decision caused controversy in the sports community, and the Apnea S.O.S. 2021 Initiative, comprising Croatian national team members and diving sports coaches, publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the federation’s decision.