Chengdu, 29 March 2025 - The opening day of The World Games Series in Chengdu delivered thrilling performances across multiple disciplines, as athletes showcased their skills in pursuit of medals and qualification spots for The World Games 2025 in August.
Underwater Sports – Finswimming & Freediving take centre stage
Hungary’s Nandor Kiss set a new World Record in the Men’s Surface 400m Final, clocking 2:54.64 and surpassing the previous record of 2:55.57 set by Oleksii Zakharov (UKR).
“It’s a really good feeling, but this is not my best time,” said Kiss. “I’m so happy for this. That’s why I’m here. I really wanted it. Maybe I'll aim for another one tomorrow. It’s been a really long preparation with a lot of training and mental focus.”
Meanwhile, Zsofia Torocsik (HUN) and Alexey Molchanov (AIN) secured their qualification spots for The World Games 2025 in the Women’s and Men’s Dynamic without Fins events, respectively.
“I was very happy and excited,” said Torocsik. “It was a long trip to get here, but it’s awesome to be part of this competition. Winning means I might return for The World Games in August.”
Chinese Taipei’s Chan Kai-Hsiang won the Men’s Dynamic without Fins in Freediving and said:
I'm very happy to participate in a competition in Chengdu for the first time. It feels like a warm - up match before The World Games, and I'm a little bit nervous. It means that my recent practice hasn't been in vain. I've been practicing hard.”
Life Saving competition summary
Tonight’s Life Saving competition showcased incredible performances in various pool events, with athletes from Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Poland, and Belgium securing top spots.
In the Women’s 100m Rescue Medley, Italy dominated as Helene Giovanelli secured gold, followed by her compatriot Lucrezia Fabretti, with Spain’s Alba Gomes Mesias taking third.
Gold medallist Giovanelli said: “I love Chengdu, this place, this city and this swimming pool! And I love pandas of course. I’m so happy with the result of this race.”
The Men’s 100m Rescue Medley saw a close battle, with Kacper Majchrzak from Poland finishing first, just ahead of Fergus Eadie from New Zealand and Simone Locchi from Italy in third.
Polish legend Majchrzak said: “The Series is a great step closer to The World Games which we all want to take part in this summer. I see it as a good training and I’m happy about my time today.”
In the 100m Manikin Carry with Fins (Women’s), Italy’s Lucrezia Fabretti clinched gold, narrowly beating Spain’s Antia Garcia Silva and New Zealand’s Zoe Crawford.
The Men’s 100m Manikin Carry with Fins was another intense race, with Italy’s Davide Cremonini finishing first, followed closely by Fergus Eadie and Spain’s Uvan Romero Fernandez, who tied for second place.
New Zealand’s Zoe Crawford delivered a strong performance in the Women’s 200m Super Lifesaver, taking gold, while Italy’s Lucrezia Fabretti and Belgium’s Bo Van de Plas completed the podium.
For the Men’s 200m Super Lifesaver, Italy’s Francesco Ippolito claimed the top spot, ahead of Spain’s Carlos Coronado Tejeda and Germany’s Felix Hofmann.
Winner Ippolito enthusiastically reflected on his journey: “I feel really happy, the atmosphere is really fun here. This is my first time in China but it has been a fantastic journey. I am from a small town in Italy so it’s completely different here. People here are very kind and we feel it.”
Looking Ahead to Day 2
Day 2 of The World Games Series will feature more exciting competitions across the three sports on the programme (Underwater Sports, Life Saving and Boules Sports).
Finals will take place in the Freediving Women’s and Men’s Dynamic with Fins Finals, the Men’s Finswimming Apnoea 50m Final, and multiple other Finswimming events.
In Life Saving, the 50m Manikin Carry and 100m Manikin Tow finals will take place, while Boules Sports will see the Men’s and Women’s Pétanque Precision Shooting Finals and the Doubles Mixed Pétanque Classic.
Where to Watch & Competition Schedule
Fans worldwide can catch all the action live on, The World Games Live, the official streaming platform of The World Games. Highlights and on-demand content will also be available throughout the weekend. The TWG Series will also be broadcast on Sichuan Radio and Television’s New Media Platform, Chengdu Radio & Television (CDTV5), and Chengdu Eastern New Area Fusion Media Center’s New Media Platform, expanding the event’s visibility.
Results at a glance
Today’s medallists are listed below.
Underwater Sports
Finswimming: Women's Apnoea 50m Final
- 1. Diana Sliseva (AIN) 15.80
- 2. Miri Yoon (KOR) 16.06
- 3. Yaoyao Hu (CHN) 16.21
Finswimming: Women's Bi Fins 50m Final
- 1. Valeria Andreeva (AIN) 21.78
- 2. Irina Gileva (AIN) 21.86
- 3. Yevheniia Tymoshenko (UKR) 22.01
Finswimming: Men's Surface 100m Final
- 1. Tarek Hassan Elsayed (EGY) 34.89
- 2. Justus Moerstedt (GER) 34.90
- 3. Myeongjun Shin (KOR) 35.33
Finswimming: Men’s Bi Fins 100m Final
- 1. Szymon Kropidlowski (POL) 41.41
- 2. Aleksei Fedkin (AIN) 41.68
- 3. Kelen Cseplo (HUN) 42.36
Finswimming: Women’s Surface 200m Final
- 1. Vlada Markina (AIN) 1:28.48
- 2. Michele Rutze (GER) 1:31.24
- 3. Sofiia Hrechko (UKR) 1:32.47
Finswimming: Men's Surface 400m Final
- 1. Nandor Kiss (HUN) 2:54.64 - WR
- 2. Alex Mozsar (HUN) 2:58.77
- 3. Oleksii Zakharov (UKR) 2:59.87
Freediving: Women’s Dynamic without Fins
- 1. Zopfia Torocsik (HUN) – Q TWG 2025
- 2. Kateryna Adurska (UKR)
- 3. Yasuko Ozeki (JPN)
Freediving: Men’s Dynamic without Fins
- 1. Kai-Hsiang Chan (TPE)
- 2. Alexey Molchanov (AIN) – Q TWG 2025
- 3. Nedad Pavkovic (SRB)
Life Saving
Women’s Pool 100m Rescue Medely
- 1. Helene Giovanelli (ITA) 1:10.13
- 2. Lucrezia Fabretti (ITA) 1:11.33
- 3. Alba Gomes Mesias (ESP) 1:11.76
Men’s Pool 100m Rescue Medely
- 1. Kacper Majchrzak (POL) 58.69
- 2. Fergus Eadie (NZL) 59.12
- 3. Simone Locchi (ITA) 59.34
100m Manikin Carry with Fins Women
- 1. Lucrezia Fabretti (ITA) 50.76
- 2. Antia Garcia Silva (ESP) 51.34
- 3. Zoe Crawford (NZL) 52.34
Men’s 100m Manikin Carry with Fins
- 1. Davide Cremonini (ITA) 44.78
- 2. Fergus Eadie (NZL) 45.07
- 3. Uvan Romero Fernandez (ESP) 45.07
Women’s 200m Super Lifesaver Final
- 1. Zoe Crawford (NZL) 2:24.41
- 2. Lucrezia Fabretti (ITA) 2:24.99
- 3. Bo Van de Plas (BEL) 2:25.63
200m Super Lifesaver Men
- 1. Francesco Ippolito (ITA) 2:06.32
- 2. Carlos Coronado Tejeda (ESP) 2:07.61
- 3. Felix Hofmann (GER) 2:08.61