Mateusz, Matt, Malina, is a Polish freediver, born in Cieszyn in 1986. Today he is the strongest freediving champion overall in the world according the The Freediving Ranking and considering both pool and depth disciplines. In the pool, Matt deteins the world record in DYN, with 326.5 meters, in DYNB with 300 meters and in DNF with 250 meters. He is also an excellent depth freediver, 3° in the world in FIM and CWT, both set at 130 meters, 4° in CNF, with 92 meters, and 6° in CWTB with 92 meters.
After having interviewed his compatriot, Maria Bobela, we have has a chat with Matt about the start of his passion, competitions, plans for 2026, preferred disciplines, suggestions to make freediving grow more and the products he uses.
Carlo Forni: When and how did your passion for freediving start?
Matt Malina: It started when I was around 13 to 15, I don’t remember exactly which year it was. At first, I was just having fun with friends at the local swimming pool, and later on, I noticed I was pretty good at breath-holding during the exercises for my lifeguard license. Back then I didn’t have the money to pursue that dream, so I only started freediving for real when I was about 22 years old.
CF: When did you begin competing, and what do competitions represent for you?
MM: I began competing almost immediately. Since I’d been doing various sports like judo and volleyball since early childhood, I naturally had a competitive nature. However, I actually signed up for my first freediving competition not really to compete, but to get to know people. Back in the day, there was a very small group of people doing it, and I just wanted to meet more people who shared the same passion.
Carlo Forni: Today you are the strongest international athlete in freediving, combining indoor and outdoor disciplines. How does that make you feel?
MM: I like being an all-around athlete instead of being narrowly focused on one discipline, as it keeps me from getting bored. I enjoy alternating between pool and depth seasons and mixing up the various disciplines. Obviously, it’s a nice feeling to be the best. Of course I’m competing against others, but I’m really focused on my own journey and pushing my own limits. Other people’s results don’t change mine – though they can serve as great motivation. I just focus on improving, and it gets me where it gets me. My goal was to be the first athlete to achieve 1,000 overall points combined from all disciplines, and I managed to do that. A decade ago, my goal was to become the first man to reach 300 meters in monofin, but I was a month too late. So, my next goal was to be the first human to reach 300 in bifins, and I accomplished that at the World Championships last year.
Carlo Forni: What are your plans for 2026? Which competitions will you take part in?
Matt Malina: I rarely have specific plans for my goals; I usually just plan to take part in certain competitions without focusing on a particular number. Since the beginning of March, I’ve had an unplanned break from training. I had a scheduled wisdom teeth extraction and the healing process went south, which complicates things a bit. I had to take antibiotics, which left me feeling weak, and the amount of painkillers I’ve consumed recently is probably more than in my entire life combined. I don’t really know how much it has weakened my body. My plan was to attend both the AIDA and CMAS pool world championships. I will likely still go, but at this point, it’s uncertain what I’ll actually be able to do and when I can resume training at full capacity. My plans for the later part of the year aren’t decided yet.
CF: How do you train today, and is there a difference compared to when you started competing some years ago?
MM: I train at the gym, doing strength and endurance workouts, as well as a few dynamic sessions and a regular static session. I train 5 days a week with 2 rest days, and I focus a lot on recovery tools like cold therapy. I think my training is pretty consistent with what I was doing a decade ago. Maybe back then I wasn’t as focused on the recovery aspect because I was younger.
Carlo Forni: What are your preferred disciplines indoors and outdoors, and where do you think you can and want to improve the most?
MM: Indoors, my favorite is definitely DNF. But in terms of raw meters, I can improve more in DYN and DBF because progress in DNF is much harder to come by. With monofins and bifins, gear keeps upgrading, so you can swim further distances just by having better equipment without necessarily getting better at breath-holding. However, that’s not the case with DNF. Outdoors, my favorites are FIM and CNF. I enjoy CWT and CBF a bit less, because in my case the narcosis gets pretty strong in those specific disciplines. Overall, I think I have more room to improve in depth rather than in the pool, mostly because it’s something I’ve practiced less throughout my life.
CF: What do you suggest to make freediving, whether indoor or outdoor, grow more internationally? What do you expect from the two federations, AIDA and CMAS?
Matt Malina: I think the last World Games held in Chengdu showed that pool freediving can be presented really well on global TV. At least in our country, the professional commentary and coverage were really good. It was super exciting and a lot of people were watching it. I would actually say that, in the format it was held there, pool freediving is ready for the Olympic Games. I’m not sure depth freediving could be as exciting for TV, mainly because the conditions are so unpredictable. There are only a handful of places in the world where you can dive deep with reliable conditions, and even then, it’s not guaranteed. Imagine hosting the Olympics in US (2028) or Australia (2032) – where would people dive to 130+ meters with stable conditions in those places? It’s not really possible. Being present at the highest-ranked international events is the best chance to grow the sport. I also think – however unrealistic it might sound – that for the good of our sport, the two organizations should merge into one.
Carlo Forni: What products do you use in competitions, indoors and outdoors? Which equipment do you particularly like to use?
Matt Malina: I mostly use the Orca Zen wetsuit, both indoors and outdoors. When the water is really warm outside – like 28.5 or 29°C and above – I have to use something thinner, like the Double K Zero wetsuit. For my fins, right now I use Taras bifins and a Goldfin monofin, along with a Chabaud neckweight.
