Natalia Molchanova

Who is Natalia Molchanova?

Natalia Molchanova, born 8 May 1962, Ufa, Russia is a Russian champion Freediver and is the current President of the Russian Freedive Federation.

Molchanova is the world's most decorated freediver ever, with a total of 40 world records. She has, so far, 20 individual gold medals and two team gold medals from the Freediving World Championships. At the World Championships in Maribor, Slovenia, in 2007, her winning time in the static discipline was better than the winning male gold medal. The 25th of September, 2009, she became the first woman ever to make and pass 100 meters in Constant Weight, this with a dive to 101 meters. Molchanova was also the first female who made a constant dive through the arch in the Blue Hole, in Dahab, Egypt. In 2009 she also became the first freediver in the world, including men, to deliver three results, in three different categories with over 100 points in each according to the international point scoring systems that are recognised by AIDA International. During 2009, Molchanova set five new world records and took all five gold medals at the two individual AIDA World Championships.