Heartbroken mom reveals the eerie last words of a parkour teen who drowned just feet from his friends on the popular beach
- Ivan Korolev drowned on Sydney’s Freshwater Beach on Saturday
- The parkour athlete was swimming with two friends
- His mother has thanked search teams and the community
A fit and energetic young parkour athlete who drowned on a Sydney beach just meters from his friends over the weekend was incredibly happy and looking forward to university.
Ivan Korolev, 18, went swimming with two friends at Freshwater Beach around 8 p.m. Saturday night, but did not return to shore with his friends.
His mother Anna Zolotukhina has chosen to speak out to thank rescue crews who retrieved her son’s body after an overnight search that lasted until Sunday morning.
“We had a deep and meaningful relationship and understanding, so besides being my son, he was my good friend,” Ms. Zolotukhina told 9News.
“I was told he swam a short distance from his friends. They were chatting and having fun and his last words were, “I’m so relaxed now I’m ready to fall asleep.”‘
Ivan Korolev’s mother, Anna Zolotukhina (pictured together), said her son was also a good friend
She is heartbroken but says her son was “done” and he has been very happy for the past few weeks
The exact circumstances that caused the young man – who loved the outdoors such as rock climbing, parkour, swimming and animals – drowning remains a mystery.
He trained in martial arts and within weeks was preparing to study physiotherapy at the Australian National University.
“The sheer happiness he’s been going through these past few weeks is just unbelievable,” said his heartbroken mother.
“We all live on this planet to fulfill our purpose in life, some people take a hundred years to do this, some people take 18 years to do it.
“God works in unpredictable ways… he was ready.”
His two friends called the police when they lost track of him and he had not returned to shore around 8:15 p.m. Saturday.
Emergency services launched an extensive search and rescue operation and worked continuously to find Ivan.
Local police, the Marine Area Command, Surf Life Saving NSW, Marine Rescue, Polair and the Toll Ambulance Rescue Helicopter searched the area from North Curl Curl headland along the coastline to Bluefish Point and further out to sea to find Ivan.
Naval officers patrolled the water while police scoured the beach Saturday night.
The search continued in the morning when Ivan’s body was found around 9:15 am in the water.
The body of Sydney teen Ivan Korolev (pictured), 18, was found in the water on Sunday. Friends and family have paid tribute on social media
Search teams worked through the night to locate the boy after his friend reported him missing
The family was close and thanked the local community for their support
The family is grateful to the rescue teams who worked tirelessly all night to locate him – just 500 meters from shore.
They are also thankful for the local community that they say has kept them going.
A memorial will be held at Freshwater Beach on Saturday at 5 p.m.
“If someone wants to bring flowers that he got for his birthday, it’s blue irises,” said Ms. Zolotukhina.
a GoFundMe was also set up by a good friend to support the family.
Police say his death is not considered suspicious.
A report is being prepared for the coroner.