France’s 175-meter (574-foot) freediving swim record set in 2017 by Arthur Guéran-Boyer was overtaken by Russia’s Alexey Molchanov. Molchanov, a Russian freediver, recently set the new Guinness World Record with his 180-meter (590-foot) monofin swimming under the ice of the Ameryevsky Dolomites. Molchanov was underwater with a guide line, sea ice and his exit/entrance opening above him in murky waters for two minutes and 40 seconds.
The invaluable commitment to the growth of freediving is a symbol of boundless affection, reverence and remembrance. Alexei dedicated his record to mom, Natalia Vadimovna Molchanova, the former president of the Russian FreeDive Federation. On 2 August 2015, Natalia was giving a private lesson dive near Formentera, Spain. She fell to a depth of 40 metres (131 ft.), and it is believed she was taken down, trapped by a current, without weights. She never came up for air. Early rescue and recovery efforts were ineffective and the Spanish Civil Code specifies that a person lost by shipwreck or in the midst of a dangerous activity will be declared dead in absence within 3 months.
Alexey Molchanov was born on 6 March 1987 in Volgograd, Russia, and is a Freediver National champion, eight-time world champion (AIDA and CMAS), freediving world record holder, president of the “Freediving Federation” Union and chairman of AIDA Russia. Overall, he set 12 world records (8 records were set by AIDA rules and 4 records by CMAS) and won 18 combined individual and team gold, silver, and bronze medals at world championship events. A former nationally ranked swimmer, Alexey took up freediving as a teenager when his mother, the late Natalia Molchanova, fell in love with the sport. Alexey followed her footsteps and, in addition to running the Russian Freediving Federation, he is also creating the Molchanovs brand, which manufactures some of the finest freediving gear available.
A coach, entrepreneur, and top-ranking athlete, Alexey Molchanov splits his time between his homes in Moscow and Dahab and runs regular training camps in Bali, Mexico, and the U.S., and continues to compete worldwide in Freediving competitions.
“One Inhale” the movie will appear in theatres March 5, 2020 and is dedicated to Alexey’s mother, Natalia.