The 18-year-old man who drowned off Sydney’s Freshwater Beach on Saturday night has been identified as Ivan Korolev.
Per 9News, he went bodysurfing with two mates at about 8pm. Around 15 minutes later, they contacted the police when they could no longer see him in the water.
An extensive land, sea and air search involving Surf Life Saving NSW, local police and a rescue helicopter looked for Ivan from North Curl Curl headland along the coastline to Bluefish Point.
His body was found less than 500 metres off the Freshwater Beach shore at 9:15am on Sunday.
Ivan’s mother, Anna Zolotukhina, told the Daily Telegraph he was one of the “strongest and nicest” people she’d ever known who was loved by his two younger siblings.
“He just graduated Mosman High. He was an avid parkour athlete,” she said.
“He did exercise everyday. [He] was doing martial arts from the age of five.”
She said he was set to study sports and fitness at Australian Catholic University in a few weeks.
On Facebook, she thanked friends and family for their support and urged them to tell their children how loved they are.
“Please, please give a hug to your kids and tell them you love them every time they go out of the door,” she wrote.
Quantum Martial Arts, the martial arts studio Ivan attended, shared a heartbreaking tribute on Facebook.
“It is with great sadness that I inform you that Ivan Korolev has passed away,” the post read.
“Ivan was a much-loved member of the community, earning his Junior Black Belt before becoming the youngest Adult Black Belt.
“But it was not just his martial arts prowess that impressed. Ivan was a little brother to all of us … an absolute champion in every way.
“Geez, you will be missed, mate. You lived life to the fullest every day … parkour, martial arts, everything. And you had just been accepted into uni.
“RIP brother, and enjoy that big parkour stage and dojo up in heaven.”
NSW Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
