Kateryna Sadurska


Kateryna Sadurska is a Ukrainian athlete who has achieved multiple world championships and holds world records in freediving, European champion, world championship medalist, and participant in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in synchronized (artistic) swimming. She has set seven world records in freediving and has been crowned world champion six times. She is the first woman in the world to reach a depth of 84 meters in the Constant weight without fins discipline, setting an absolute world record.

World Records

Kateryna has set seven world records in freediving:July 22, 2023 – Vertical Blue 2023 Tournament: AIDA world record in the Constant Weight Without Fins discipline, diving to 74 .July 27, 2023 – Vertical Blue 2023 Tournament: absolute world in CNF discipline — 76 meters.July 29, 2023 – Vertical Blue 2023 Tournament: world in CNF discipline — 77 meters.August 24, 2023 – CMAS World Championship, Honduras: absolute world in CNF discipline — 78 meters.October 10, 2024 – CMAS World Championship, Kalamata, Greece: new absolute world in CNF discipline — 80 meters.November 26, 2024 – AIDA International Competition, Dominica: Kateryna extended the record by 2 meters in the CNF discipline, setting a new absolute world record — 82 meters.December 2, 2024 – AIDA International Competition, Dominica: Kateryna reached 84 meters in the CNF discipline, rewriting history as the first woman to achieve such depth without additional equipment.

Early life

Kateryna Sadurska was born on 19 July 1992 in Mykolaiv. Since childhood, she loved diving in the sea and in the river. Actually, at first Kateryna wanted to do diving, but she wasn't taken to the sport school by coaches because she was very tall. So, in 2000, at the age of 8, she decided to do artistic swimming at the sports school "Vodoliy".

Career in artistic swimming

2009 - 2010: Junior career

In April 2009, Kateryna Sadurska debuted competing at the international competitions: she won two silver medals in the team routine and free routine combination events at the European Junior Championships in Gloucester.
In July 2010, Sadurska won three silver medals in duet and team routine, free routine combination at the European Junior Championships in Tampere. One month later, Kateryna competed at the World Junior Championships, winning two silver medals in duet routine and in the free routine combination event. Later, Kateryna competed at the European Championships in Budapest, where she won two bronze medals in team and combination routines with her team. In December, she won two bronze medals in team and combination routines at the FINA Synchro World Trophy 2010 in Moscow.

2011 - 2012: First European Champions Cup title and first World Championships

In 2011, she firstly competed at the World Championships in Shanghai without reaching any medals: her team finished 5th in free routine combination and 6th in team technical routine and team free routine. But she won a gold medal in combination routine and a bronze one in team routine at the European Champions Cup in Sheffield.
In May 2012, firstly in her career, Sadurska won two silver medals in team and combination routines at the European Championships in Eindhoven. In December, Sadurska won three bronze medals in the team thematic, combination and highlights routines at the FINA Synchro World Trophy in Mexico.

2013: First World Championships bronze medals

In February, representing Kharkiv oblast-1, Sadurska won three gold medals in the team free, combination and technical routines at the Ukrainian National Championships in Kharkiv. In May, she won two gold medals in team free and highlights routine, a silver one in team technical routine at the European Champions Cup in Savona. In July, Sadurska became one of the first World Championships medalists from Ukraine in artistic swimming, winning three bronze medals at the World Championships in Barcelona. In November, Kateryna received two silver medals in team free routine and free routine combination and a bronze one in highlights routine at the FINA Synchro World Trophy in Mexico.

2014: First European and World Cup title

In October, she competed at the European Championships, winning a gold medal in combination routine and a silver one in team routine. That month, Sadurska won gold, silver and two bronze medals at the World Cup in Quebec City.

Career in freediving

Kateryna has fully dedicated herself to freediving, where she has set seven world records and become a six-time world champion.
World Championship Gold Medals:
  • 2022 – CMAS World Championship, Kaş, Turkey: gold medal in Free Immersion — 92 meters.
  • 2022 – CMAS World Championship, Kaş, Turkey: gold medal in Constant Weight Without Fins — 70 meters.
  • 2023 – CMAS World Championship, Honduras: gold medal in Free Immersion — 97 meters.
  • 2023 – CMAS World Championship, Honduras: gold medal in Constant Weight Without Fins — 78 meters.
  • 2024 – CMAS World Championship, Kalamata, Greece: gold medal in Constant Weight Without Fins — 80 meters.
  • 2024 – CMAS World Championship, Kalamata, Greece: gold medal in Free Immersion — 95 meters.
Other Medals:
  • Gold – Vertical Blue Tournament, 2023 in CNF discipline.
  • Gold – CMAS Freediving World Cup 2023, Kalamata, Greece, in CNF discipline.
  • Gold – CMAS Freediving World Cup 2023, Kalamata, Greece, in FIM discipline.
  • Gold – CMAS Freediving World Cup 2023, Kalamata, Greece, in CWTBF discipline.
  • Silver – CMAS Freediving World Cup "Kaş Başka," Turkey, 2021 in CNF discipline.
  • Silver – 2022 AIDA World Championship, Burgas, in DYNB discipline.
  • Bronze – 2022 AIDA World Championship, Burgas, in DNF discipline.
  • Bronze – 2024 AIDA World Championship, Kaunas, in DNF discipline.
  • Bronze – 2024 AIDA World Championship, Kaunas, in DYNB discipline.
  • Third Place – Vertical Blue Tournament, 2023 in FIM discipline.
  • Second Place – Vertical Blue Tournament, 2023 in the overall ranking.
  • Bronze – CMAS World Championship, Kalamata, Greece, 2024, in CWTB discipline.
Kateryna's National Records as of the End of 2024:
Depth Disciplines:
  • CNF — 84 meters, world record, Dominica, 2024.
  • CWT — 107 meters, Dominica, 2024.
  • FIM — 97 meters, Roatán, 2023.
Pool Disciplines:
  • DYN — 246 meters, Athens, 2024.
  • DYNB — 224.5 meters, Belgrade, 2024.
  • DNF — 183.5 meters, Belgrade, 2024.
  • STA — 7:01, Belgrade, 2021.
Public Activity
Kateryna actively promotes freediving and serves as an important symbol of Ukraine's strength and resilience on the international stage during the war. Her sporting achievements not only highlight the perseverance and determination of Ukrainians but also serve as a reminder to the world about the situation in Ukraine.
"These competitions are more than just sports. They are an opportunity for me to represent Ukraine and show the world that we are ready to fight and win, but we need support," Kateryna said after setting yet another world record.