If you had to choose just one, which record would you pick? The indoor one or depth?

"Nooo... that's a very difficult choice! (laughs, Ed.). Maybe I'd say the pool, because I feel it's more 'real' and closer to my daily training, but that doesn't mean I don't care about depth. If I think about my career, I've been practicing freediving for three years and trained almost exclusively in the pool. My experience with depth as an athlete is limited to one year, with summer training camps in Croatia in 2023 and 2024. That’s where I really met the sea.

Actually, I discovered this sport precisely by watching depth videos on YouTube and on TV. But living in Hungary, we don't have the chance to go deep, so I looked for a club and started training in the pool three times a week. It was natural to start with the pool, but the desire to try depth was always there."

Can you tell us about that historic 300-meter record?

"It was a tricky situation. I had 300 meters in my head all year long, it was a recurring dream: I thought 'maybe one day I'll be the first woman to do it'. I had already tried in 2025, but I blacked out at 289 meters. However, that mistake didn't stop me.

At the World Games, before the start, I had two conflicting thoughts. The first was caution: 'This isn't the right place to risk it, it would be wise to bring home a solid result'. The second was instinct: 'If I feel the strength inside me, why not? It's just another competition'. I was very calm, I felt I had total control of my mind.

Until a few minutes before the Official Top, I hadn't decided yet. Three minutes before entering the water, I told myself: 'I'm strong enough, so I'll try!'. My coach told me later that he had already understood it just by watching my pace as I approached the pool.

In the water, I managed to control everything. When I turned at 250 meters, I felt the opposite wall getting closer and knew I could reach it. At 280 meters I accelerated: I didn't want to repeat the mistake made in Greece, where my mind had clouded over. This time I was extremely lucid. I accelerated, ignored the pain in my legs, and thought: 'Now or never'. When I touched the wall, I had no doubts: I knew I would complete the protocol. It wasn't even a question.

Maybe it will seem strange, but I had the feeling that 300 isn't my ultimate limit. I was very awake. At 300 meters my first thought was 'I could turn', but the second was 'come up, it's done'."

Pool to Depth Transition How do you approach such different disciplines? Do they have different triggers and mental modes?

"I know it's not easy, and that's the reason why usually you are either a pool athlete or a depth athlete. Few succeed in both. I think about it often, but I feel that for me it happens naturally.

I believe my key is adaptation. Since I was little, my advantage in sports has always been the ability to adapt to situations better than others, regardless of the conditions.

At the beginning, I struggled with equalization, but looking at the timeline, I managed the problem in a few weeks. Before the dive, I already know what to expect, so I focus on staying under control and strengthening the confidence that I can execute what the coach asks of me. If my team, who knows me well, says I can do it, then it means I can do it. The question is only mine: do I believe in myself enough? Training is the easy method, confidence is the hard part."

In the past, you mentioned being deaf in your right ear due to a childhood infection. Balance and equalization are crucial in depth: did this condition make your adaptation more difficult?

"In my first deep experiences, I was afraid of damaging the only good ear, so I equalized every meter. Then I learned what to really pay attention to. It is fundamental for anyone to turn around as soon as they feel pain, but for me, it would have much more serious consequences.

My right ear is... a decoration on my head! It doesn't work at all. I got used to it a long time ago, but sometimes it's frustrating because I don't understand where sounds are coming from. They ask me if I would get surgery, but the answer is no. I think I've done everything like anyone else, just with more attention. If water gets in, I don't feel discomfort because I'm missing a part of the nerve. I don't have tattoos, but I'd like to write 'Out of Order' on it! I joke about it often. I don't allow limiting thoughts to enter, I don't think that my accident could be worse compared to others'. Simply, I don't think about it."

The Hungarian Power How important is dry training and weights?

"I firmly believe in muscles. I started going to the gym well before freediving. I think the solid foundation of my performances comes from triathlon and dry training. It is just as important as the water training, and in certain phases of preparation, even more so.

Lifting weights is fundamental. Depending on the phase, I train on explosiveness or strength, high reps or maximal loads based on body type, but it is something that is needed. In my opinion, it is much more important than commonly thought in this environment."

You exploded onto the international scene very quickly. What was the biggest mistake you made at the beginning that you would advise avoiding?

"I made mistakes, for sure. But I believe we have to make them to move forward.  I was always obsessed with doing meters and distance. I know that freediving is also silence and introspection, but for me, it is a competitive sport and I pushed my limits. If we want to consider it a mistake, okay, but for me, it wasn't really one: I needed to make those mistakes to understand myself better.

Sure, maybe with hindsight I would handle external attention differently. I wouldn't give too much weight to what people think of my performances. I understand that I entered the elite very quickly and this can be annoying. We have many athletes who do this sport because they love the sensations of being underwater, and that's perfectly fine. But for me, even if I feel those sensations, freediving is a competitive sport. I don't like it when those who have a different vision try to convince me or anyone else, that their way is the only right one. If you are against competition, why do you compete? No one forces you."

Future & Inspiration

You said that freediving is the 'greatest journey within yourself'. Where will this journey take you in 2026? Do you have a specific goal, perhaps in Constant Weight (CWT)? Is there a discipline where another athlete reigns supreme…

"Kateryna (Sadurska, Ed.) is incredible. She reached 86 and 88 meters in CNF (Constant Weight No Fins), she is very far ahead. I will definitely try, I have some projects for CNF, but for now, those measurements are far and difficult to reach. But I will push.

The dive to -98 meters in FIM wasn't easy, but I feel I still have more. This is a great motivation."

Which figures inspired you?

"I am grateful because I met many good people. But fundamental were my coach in Hungary, András Sopronyi, and then Vito Maričić and Petar Klovar.

András is the one who 'found' me and almost forced me to train and discover this sport! He was the first to see the real me. It is easy to talk to him because it's not just about training: he takes care of me, he is curious about how I am,. He pays attention to far more than just the basics. He understood perfectly when to challenge me and when to let me settle.

Vito and Petar open my eyes. I say 'ok, I'm strong', but they show me what I am truly capable of in depth. I follow their plans without asking questions because I know they believe in me, sometimes more than I do myself. The company is fundamental: training or struggling together is always a nice way to be together." For example, i did 98m FIM in the World Championship because they told me, i am for sure capable of. Without them, i might not have been so brave.

What is the philosophy that binds you to this sport?

"I learned a lot about focus and control. I already had them thanks to triathlon, which I consider one of the toughest sports in the world, but freediving turned these qualities into steel. For me, sport is the perfect balance between mind and body.

I always say that you cannot be a good athlete if you are not a good person first. Mental strength is understanding how strong you can be when you focus on things that are worth it for you. Even when freediving was shaken by scandals or political divisions, and I found myself in the middle without understanding what was happening, I kept the focus on my path. This is what counts."

Photo: Sopronyi András e Evgeny Sychev.