Kategorie: News
Seven gold medals, a world record and major successes for young talent
Freediving in Germany is enjoying an impressive resurgence. At the 2026 CMAS Freediving Indoor World Championships in Novi Sad (Serbia), the national freediving team of the Association of German Sport Divers (VDST) secured a total of 17 medals: seven gold, four silver and six bronze.
Further cause for celebration: a new world record, a European Masters record and several German national records were also set. This fantastic result underlines the positive development of the sport in Germany.
The breadth of the success was particularly striking: athletes of all age groups contributed to the medal tally. Junior, senior and masters teams delivered consistently strong performances, demonstrating the depth of talent within the VDST.
World record as sporting highlight
Heike Schwerdtner provided the biggest sporting highlight. In the static discipline, she held her breath for 9 minutes and 39 seconds, setting a new world record and winning the gold medal.
Young athlete Josefine Fischer from Leipzig was also very pleased with her performance:
“After a difficult start, I’m particularly delighted to have shown, with two German records and top-ten finishes, just how strongly freediving has developed in Germany. The World Championships were a great success for me personally and for the team,” says Josefine Fischer.
Recipe for success: a mix of experience and young talent
Hannelore Becker was also among those who delivered outstanding performances. She won three gold medals – in static apnea and in the distance disciplines with mono and duo fins – and also set a European Masters record in duo fin spearfishing.
“Our results show that freediving in Germany has long since become more than just a niche sport. Numerous clubs are investing in training and competition structures, and the close collaboration between young athletes, seniors and masters is paying off. This makes the future prospects for our sport very promising,” says Becker.
The younger athletes also delivered strong performances: Elisa Hölzer won silver and bronze and set a German youth record. Alwin Müller secured silver and bronze in the speed disciplines.
“For my generation, there are significantly more opportunities for development today than there were a few years ago. Team support and professional preparation help enormously. The medals at the World Championships are an incentive for me to carry on,” explains Alwin Müller.
Success is based on long-term development work
The results from Novi Sad reflect the long-term, systematic development of freediving in Germany. The VDST has been investing for years in training, competition structures and the promotion of young talent. This is evident not only in international successes, but also in rising participant numbers at national competitions and the growing visibility of freediving within the federation.
“The World Championships have impressively demonstrated just how widespread freediving has become in Germany. Our athletes are winning medals across all age groups and disciplines. This success is the result of years of groundwork within clubs, regional associations and the national team,” says national coach Werner Giove.
Germany’s medal tally
7 × Gold
4 × Silver
6 × Bronze
1 world record
1 European Masters record
several German records
German medallists
Heike Schwerdtner – Gold (static), world record
Elisa Hölzer (Junior) – Silver, Bronze, German youth record
Alwin Müller (Junior) – Silver, Bronze
Hannelore Becker (Masters) – 3 × Gold, European Masters record
Cathrin Schröder (Masters) – 2 × Gold, 1 × Silver
Axel Haase (Masters) – Gold, German Masters record
Edmund Uwe (Masters) – Silver, 2 × Bronze, German Masters record
Uwe Kiehl (Masters) – 2 × Bronze, German Masters record
A brief introduction to freediving
Freediving, also known as free diving, is the most primitive form of diving. Athletes cover distances or hold their breath – using just a single breath and without any breathing apparatus. In competitive sport, the focus is not only on physical fitness but also, in particular, on concentration, technique and mental strength.
Further information on the sport, the rules and the clubs is available from the Association of German Sport Divers (VDST): https://www.vdst.de/