Heartbreaking scenes at emotional beachside memorial as family and friends pay tribute to a talented and determined teen who tragically drowned
- Ivan Korolev, 18, drowns on Sydney beach
- His life remembered in a memorial on the beach
Friends and family gathered to say goodbye to a teenager who drowned while swimming with friends at a popular beach.
Ivan Korolev, 18, went missing while bodysurfing with friends at Freshwater Beach on Sydney’s northern beaches last Saturday.
His companions frantically searched the water and continued their search on shore to no avail before calling the emergency services when they could not find him.
The teen’s body was recovered in the water the next morning.
There were somber scenes on the same beach Saturday as friends and family gathered for the memorial.
Ivan Korolev’s friends and family gathered on Saturday to pay tribute to the teenager.
Ivan Korolev, 18, went missing while bodysurfing with friends at Freshwater Beach on March 4.
The doves were released as part of the emotional ceremony.
Iván was remembered as a determined, humble and shy young man, he achieved everything he set out to do.
His mother, Anna Kolotukhina, broke down when she spoke about her son last week.
“In addition to being my son, he was my close friend,” he told Nine News.
“The sheer happiness that he went through in the last few weeks was just unbelievable.”
Mourners watched as the doves were released as part of the moving ceremony.
Ivan Korolev was remembered as a determined young man who achieved everything he set his mind to.
It is unclear how Korolev found himself in trouble on the water.
“They told me that he was swimming a short distance from his friends and that they were chatting and having fun,” said Ms. Kolotukhina.
His last words were ‘I’m so relaxed now that I’m ready to fall asleep’.
‘God works unpredictably,’ added Ms Kolotukhina. ‘He was ready’.
A GoFundMe launched by friend Alena Yusupova to support Ivan’s family following his death has raised more than $13,300.
Family and friends were comforted and hugged during the emotional service
“He was only 18 years old, a gifted child at the beginning of his adulthood,” Ms. Yusupova wrote.
“He was always surrounded by loving and caring people who recognized his tender heart and his accomplishments in the sport.”
Last month, 31 people drowned in Australia despite not much major flooding.
Summer is often the peak time for drowning deaths in Australia. One in 10 deaths is due to rescues gone wrong.
Ivan Korolev (pictured) was a talented teenager with his whole life ahead of him.
