Limassol, Cyprus —
USA Freediving athlete Lauren Matevish delivered an exceptional series of performances across two international competitions this fall, earning a silver medal in Free Immersion (FIM) at the 35th AIDA Depth World Championship, finishing 4th overall for women, and breaking her own North American Continental Record in Constant Weight No Fins (CNF) just days later.
On September 28, Matevish secured the silver medal with a beautifully controlled 86-meter / 282-foot Free Immersion dive—her deepest FIM performance to date and the third deepest for an American woman. Earlier that same week, she matched the depth with an 86-meter Constant Weight Bi-Fins dive, showcasing her versatility across disciplines.
Photo: Daan Verhoeven
A Dominant No Fins Season, Culminating in a New 72m Continental Record
Matevish is already well-known for her work in No Fins, having broken a 13-year-old North American Continental Record in April 2025 with a 68-meter dive. She extended that record to 70 meters at the same Xibalba Freediving Competition in Mexico, and again to 71 meters in the Lake Apoyo Challenge in Nicaragua in August.
On October 7, at the Freedom Depth Games in Larnaca, she pushed the record even further, completing a stunning 72-meter / 236-foot CNF dive—her fourth continental record of 2025. This now places her 4th among the deepest women in history in the No Fins discipline.
Photo: Daan Verhoeven
Consistency at the Highest Level
Matevish previously represented the United States at the 2024 AIDA World Championships in Corsica, where she earned the silver medal in Constant Weight No Fins with a 63-meter performance. Her return to Worlds this year solidified her status as one of the most well-rounded American depth athletes, excelling in all disciplines.
Athlete Background
Matevish comes from a high-performance athletic and academic background. She competed as a Division I swimmer for the University of Pittsburgh, specializing in distance freestyle. She graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 2020 and is currently a Surgery Resident at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She is also a published researcher with numerous scientific and medical papers to her name.
Leadership Recognition
“Lauren is one of the strongest athletes and human beings I know,” says Katie McCarthy, Secretary of USA Freediving. “To see her bring home another World Championship medal—and continually break her own Continental Records—all while advancing through her surgical residency is something that most people would consider impossible. But Lauren does it all—with grace, grit, and the best sense of humor. I am unbelievably proud to call her a teammate and a friend. We are so lucky to have her on Team USA.”
Photo: Daan Verhoeven
Media Assets
High-resolution photos and DiveEye underwater video of Lauren Matevish’s silver-medal FIM dive are available upon request.
Full Results
Official performance results can be found through AIDA International:
https://www.aidainternational.org/EventRanking/4350
USA Freediving is a nonprofit association founded on the democratic representation of freediving within the United States and internationally. Founded in 2003, USA Freediving is the national governing body dedicated to furthering the development of the sport and recreation of freediving in the United States and abroad. For more information about USA Freediving, Team USA, and membership please visit www.usafreediving.com.
The Association Internationale pour le Développement de l’Apnée (English: International Association for the Development of Apnea), is the international sanctioning body for freediving, individual and team competition, and freediving world record attempts. For more information about AIDA please visit http://www.aidainternational.org.