freediver.clubPoland at the 2026 CMAS Indoor Freediving World Championship in Novi Sad
The 2026 CMAS World Championship brought 250+ athletes from 34 countries to Novi Sad. Poland left with 4 golds, 2 silvers and 2 bronzes — and Freediver.club's first sponsored athlete, Bartosz Jakubowiak, on the start lists. A look at the results, the medals by discipline, and why backing athletes matters.
From 9–15 June 2026, the CMAS Indoor Freediving World Championship was held in Novi Sad, Serbia — or more precisely at the pool in nearby Futog, just west of the city — gathering more than 250 athletes from 34 countries across four pool disciplines: Dynamic No Fins (DNF), Dynamic Bifins (DYNB), Static (STA) and Dynamic (DYN).
Poland sent one of the strongest teams in the field — and walked away with a haul of medals, a new CMAS World Record, and a milestone for our community: Bartosz Jakubowiak, the first athlete sponsored by Freediver.club, on the world-championship start lists.
Bartosz Jakubowiak — Freediver.club's first sponsored athlete — at the 2026 CMAS World Championship in Novi Sad.
A first for Freediver.club
This championship marked a milestone for us. Bartosz Jakubowiak is the first athlete Freediver.club has sponsored — competing for Poland in the senior men's category in Dynamic, Dynamic Bifins and Static.
Freediving is a demanding sport that gives very little back in money. Athletes pay for their own pool time, travel, coaching and equipment, and they train for years for a handful of competition swims. There is almost no prize money, and sponsorship in the sport is rare. That is exactly why supporting athletes matters: it lets them spend more time in the water and less time worrying about the bill, and it tells the next generation that this sport is worth investing in.
Bartosz Jakubowiak — results
| Discipline | Result | Placement (Senior men) |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic (DYN) | 250.0 m | 12th of 51 |
| Dynamic Bifins (DYNB) | 219 m | 20th of 49 |
| Static (STA) | 5:02 | 24th of 36 |
Three clean, white-card swims at a world championship — a solid showing in one of the deepest senior fields in the sport.
Polish national-team colours in front of the 2026 CMAS World Championship banner.
New world records in Futog
Three new CMAS senior world records fell during the championship:
- 🌍 Mateusz Malina (POL) — Dynamic No Fins, 244 m (previous: 239 m, his own).
- 🌍 Mirela Kardašević (CRO) — Dynamic Bifins, women, 278.5 m (previous: 263.64 m, set by Magdalena Solich-Talanda).
- 🌍 Heike Schwerdtner (GER) — Static, women, 9:39 (previous: 9:30, her own).
Medal summary by discipline
Full senior podiums across all four pool disciplines — men and women. Polish medallists are highlighted in bold.
Dynamic No Fins (DNF)
Men
- 🥇 Mateusz Malina (POL) — 244 m. New CMAS World Record.
- 🥈 Rolando Salgado (CUB) — 228 m
- 🥉 Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) — 213.5 m
Women
- 🥇 Julia Kozerska (POL) — 211 m
- 🥈 Mirela Kardašević (CRO) — 210.5 m
- 🥉 Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) — 210 m
Static (STA)
Men
- 🥇 Damian Watracz (POL) — 9:36. New Polish record.
- 🥈 Florian Dagoury (FRA) — 9:04
- 🥉 Aleksandr Maksimov (CMAS1) — 8:55
Women
- 🥇 Heike Schwerdtner (GER) — 9:39. New CMAS World Record.
- 🥈 Marta Bignazzi (ITA) — 7:25
- 🥉 María Verónica Córdova (ECU) — 7:24
Dynamic (DYN)
Men
- 🥇 Mateusz Malina (POL) — 322.5 m
- 🥈 Romain Hinfray (FRA) — 299 m
- 🥉 Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) — 292.5 m
Women
- 🥇 Mirela Kardašević (CRO) — 288 m
- 🥈 Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) — 282 m
- 🥉 Julia Kozerska (POL) — 281 m
Dynamic Bifins (DYNB)
Men
- 🥇 Goran Čolak (CRO) — 300 m
- 🥈 Rolando Salgado (CUB) — 297 m
- 🥉 Guillaume Bourdila (FRA) — 291.5 m
- Damian Watracz (POL) finished 4th with 275.5 m — just off the podium.
Women
- 🥇 Mirela Kardašević (CRO) — 278.5 m. New CMAS World Record.
- 🥈 Magdalena Solich-Talanda (POL) — 268 m
- 🥉 María Verónica Córdova (ECU) — 250 m
Senior medal count by country
Across all eight senior events (four disciplines × men and women), 24 medals were awarded.
| Country | 🥇 | 🥈 | 🥉 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Croatia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| France | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Cuba | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Italy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| CMAS1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Data provided by 
Masters category — Polish medals
The world championship also crowns champions in the masters age groups. Two Polish athletes reached the podium in the Masters 70+ men's category — a reminder that this is a sport you never have to leave.
Andrzej Kruszena — Masters 70+
- 🥇 Gold — Dynamic (DYN), 157.5 m.
- 🥉 Bronze — Dynamic Bifins (DYNB), 131.5 m.
Piotr Palacz — Masters 70+
- 🥈 Silver — Dynamic No Fins (DNF), 65 m.
Some of the Polish national team in Novi Sad.
The full Polish squad
Poland fielded athletes across senior and masters categories: Mateusz Malina, Karol Karcz, Damian Watracz, Bartosz Jakubowiak, Szymon Olbrychowski, Piotr Kubiak, Magdalena Solich-Talanda, Julia Kozerska, Natalia Wilk, Łucja Nowowiejski, Jana Pieriegud, Piotr Palacz and Andrzej Kruszena.
Congratulations to every athlete who put a card on the board in Novi Sad — and to the coaches and safety teams who make these performances possible.
Bartosz Jakubowiak
16 June, 2026 • 5 min read