Overall Winners: Xu Tongtong and Mitch Ayres!
Xu Tongtong didn’t even dive on the first competition day, and it still didn’t stop her from finishing on top for the second AFC in a row! She set two new Chinese national records along the way (CNF 70m and FIM 90m), added a strong CWTB dive, and finished with 251.12 points and the gold medal.
There were still excitement until the end, but Mariko Kaji had a out-of-candy cane pull during her Continental record attempts in CNF, which made her take a few steps down in the final ranking.
Mitch Ayres won the men’s overall with 220.25 points. His CNF dive (82m) set a new Australian national record, and he backed it up with a 100m FIM dive and a 92m CWT dive. The men’s field was tight all the way down: second place finished only 11 points behind him.
Kai Xiao put pressure on Mitch until his last dive, but an early turn in the last competition day resulted Kai Xiao returning home from AIDA Asian Freediving Cup 2026 with a continental record and second place overall .
Final Rankings
World Records in CWTB and FIM
The deepest dive of the whole competition came from Alexey Molchanov. His 129m CWTB dive scored 100.78 WR%, a new world record. He also had the deepest FIM dive among the men, at 91.97 WR%. He skipped CNF and CWT this year, so he finished fifth overall with 192.75 points, but that CWTB dive is the one everyone will be talking about.
Staff watching the pre-competition training sessions could see it coming: Enchante Gallardo worked her way down the line in FIM all week, and it paid off with a dive to 106m that matches the current world record.
Top Six Athlete Awards
Overall winners (Xu Tongtong, Mitch Ayres) received CETMA MANTRA CWT fins, a Molchanovs gift certificate ($560), a BESTDIVE gift certificate (3000 RMB, about $443), and a Freediving Planet lanyard.
Second place (Lee (Jace) Yongju, Xiao Kai) earned CETMA DYNAMITECH-L fins, a Molchanovs gift certificate ($460), a BESTDIVE gift certificate (2000 RMB, about $295), and a Freediving Planet lanyard.
Third place (Yuk Jinseul, David Hou) winners were awarded a Molchanovs gift certificate ($360), a Dive&Sail gift certificate (3000 RMB, about $443), a BESTDIVE gift certificate (1000 RMB, about $147), and a Freediving Planet lanyard.
Fourth place (Mariko Kaji, Kim Woongjin) were handed a Dive&Sail gift certificate (2000 RMB, about $295) and a BESTDIVE gift certificate (1000 RMB, about $147).
Fifth place (Alice Ellialtioglu, Alexey Molchanov) scored a Dive&Sail gift certificate (1000 RMB, about $147) and a BESTDIVE gift certificate (1000 RMB, about $147).
Sixth place (Nelli Tcareva, Michael Wai Yin Sung) received a BESTDIVE gift certificate (1000 RMB, about $147).
Discipline Awards
Like every year, we save the discipline awards for divers who did not already place in the top six overall. This way, more divers win a prize, including specialists who may not have strong scores in every discipline but had one great dive.
Men
- CNF: Zhang Yi(Zy) — 76m
- FIM: Martin Ruman — 114m
- CWTB: Huang Hua Yang — 112m
- CWT: Wen Wen — 106m
Women
- CNF: Cho Jisook — 58m
- FIM: Enchante Gallardo — 106m
- CWTB: Kim Namin — 86m
- CWT: Jingyu Ning — 114m
Each discipline winner received a Dive&Sail gift certificate (1000 RMB, about $147).
White Cards
Ten divers finished the whole competition without a single red card: Fatima Korok, Zheng (Kay) Kaiyue, Kim Namin, Sheena McNally, Li Zhen, Alexander Chapple, Jang Jihoon, Michael Wai Yin Sung, Kim Woongjin, and Ziyu Rocky Liu.
This year, we ran a raffle for it: everyone got at least one ticket, and every white card earned an extra one. Prices were 50% gift certificates for two pairs of CETMA Mantra Bifins, Two pairs of CETMA Mantra Monofins, two pairs of CETMA Lotus Carbon fins, and two gift certificates from BESTDIVE with 1000 RMB value.
Thank You
To every diver, judge, safety team member, medic, media team member, and local staff who spent nine days on the platform with us in Panglao: thank you. Without your hard work, dedication, and love for the sport, this would only have been a dream.
And to our sponsors, AIDA/World Apnea, Save Ocean, Freediving Planet, Garmin, Sideways, CETMA Composites, BESTDIVE, Molchanovs, Dive&Sail, TARAS, and 南康家具 (Nankang Furniture): this event could not happen without you. Thank you for your support.
See you in 2027!
Sponsors of AIDA Asian Freediving Cup 2026:
- CETMA Composites
- BESTDIVE
- Molchanovs
- Garmin
- Dive & Sail
- Freediving Planet
- Sideways
- 南康家具
- World Apnea – AIDA International
Organizers of AIDA Asian Freediving Cup 2026
- Just One Breath Freediving
- Freedive SuperHOME
AIDA Asian Freediving Cup 