Freediver Kateryna Sadurska from Mykolaiv set her tenth world record

Kateryna Sadurska, an athlete from Mykolaiv, dove to a depth of 90 meters without fins or additional equipment. She became the first woman in the world to reach this depth without additional equipment.

This was reported byhromadske, citing the athlete’s communications representative, Yelyzaveta Nechet.

The freediver beat her closest competitor by 11 meters and surpassed her own previous record by 17 meters. In the entire history of this sport, only six men have managed to dive to this depth.

For Kateryna, this is already her tenth world record in this discipline over the past four years.

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The AIDA Blue Element November 2026 competition, where Kateryna set the new record, is taking place in Dominica from November 8 to 17.

The athlete shared that in July of this year, she was aiming for a record of 89 meters. However, she said she suffered an injury shortly before the competition began. Sadurska noted that she had to undergo urgent treatment and a course of antibiotics at that time.

“I still made it to the starting line, but my exhausted body couldn’t handle the extreme strain—right at the finish line, for the first time in my 10-year career, I blacked out and was disqualified. It was a difficult experience that forced me to rethink my approach to training,” she said.

Kateryna Serhiivna Sadurska was born on July 19, 1992, in Mykolaiv, and represents the Kharkiv region in professional sports. She is a Merited Master of Sports of Ukraine, an Olympian, a multiple champion, and a world record holder.

Kateryna devoted the first part of her athletic career to synchronized (artistic) swimming. As a member of the Ukrainian national team, she became a two-time European champion and a multiple medalist at world and continental championships. In 2016, she competed at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where the Ukrainian team placed fourth in the team competition.

After retiring from synchronized swimming, Sadurska transitioned to freediving—underwater swimming while holding one’s breath. She completed her first training course in this sport in Odesa.

As of November 2026, she has won 11 world freediving titles in various disciplines. In particular, at the 2026 World Championships organized by CMAS, she won gold in the constant-weight dive with fins.

Due to Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the athlete is unable to conduct full-scale deep-water training at home. Kateryna is forced to constantly move between different countries to prepare for competitions. Despite this, she continues to represent Ukraine on the international stage and dedicates her world records to Ukrainian defenders.

Юлія Калабайда