On Day 3 of the IISA 6th World Championship in Molveno, Italy, 15-year-old Heidi Winter of New Zealand won the 100m freestyle in 1:04.82 over a stellar field including multiple world champion and Queen of the Ice Alisa Fatum-Böker of Germany.

The Kiwi world championship swimming title is rare – and to be savored.

Only one other New Zealand swimmer has won a World Championship title (Erika Fairweather in the 400m freestyle at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships) and only one New Zealand swimmer has won Olympic gold (Danyon Loader won gold medals in the 200m and 400m freestyles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics). 

Winter dropped her best time from 1:07.81, a huge drop from her previous swim at the IISA New Zealand and Southern Hemisphere Championships in 2.26°C water. That is a considerable improvement given the 1.8°C water temperature in Molveno. Another New Zealand swimmer, 32-year-old Laura Quilter, set the current world record of 1:01.17 at those same championships.

100m Freestyle Women’s Final Results

1. Heidi Winter (New Zealand, 15, IISA bio here) 1:04.82
2. Alisa Fatum-Böker (Germany, 29, IISA bio here) 1:05.34
3. Marie Therese Bartl (Germany, 18, IISA bio here) 1:06.51
4. Simona Andreea Chiru (Romania, 19, IISA bio here) 1:05.71
5. Jessika Robson (Great Britain, 18, IISA bio here) 1:08.26
6. Maria Nielsen (Denmark, 17, IISA bio here) 1:08.69
7. Ezmee Jones (USA, 17, IISA bio here) 1:08.92
8. Sarka Landsmannova (Czech Republic, 49, IISA bio here) 1:09.43

Watch continued live coverage of the IISA 6th World Championship here, organized by Ice Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer  Paolo Chiarino (@paolochiarino).

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