On Day 1 of the IISA 6th World Championship in Molveno, Italy, the final heat of the women’s 500m freestyle will result in some blazing fast times – even if the water temperature in the 50m pool is at a cool 1.3°C.
Led by Germany’s world record holder 29-year-old Alisa Fatum-Böker (6:07.32, IISA bio here), the field also includes 19-year-old Karolina Szalast of Poland (6:23.04, IISA bio here), 20-year-old Emilia Finer of New Zealand (6:35.16, IISA bio here), 33-year-old Ines Hahn of Germany (6:40.00, IISA bio here), 18-year-old Mariel Therese Bartl of Germany (6:40.01, IISA bio here), 18-year-old Jessika Robson of Ireland (6:46.00, IISA bio here), 21-year-old Tiffany Pierrejean of France (6:47.37, IISA bio here), and 25-year-old Marion Joffle of France (6:49.05, IISA bio here).
Fatum-Böker’s current world record stands at 6:07.32 where she set at the IISA 1st European Championship. The 29-year-old is so fast, she would be seeded sixth overall in the 21 heats in the men’s 500m freestyle event.
On the men’s side, the English Channel and Molokai Channel record holder 38-year-old Andreas Waschburger (5:32.72, IISA bio here) will face a tough battle with top-seeded 23-year-old Jakub Kacerovsky of the Czech Republic (5:30.00, a time faster than Waschburger’s world record, IISA bio here).
The other men seeded in the fastest heat range from 19 to 51 years. The men include 31-year-old Reino von Wielligh of South Africa (5:49.65, IISA bio here), 36-year-old Emil Lyubenov of Bulgaria (6:00.00, IISA bio here), 33-year-old Lucas Benitez of Argentina (6:06.00, IISA bio here), 51-year-old Ori Sela of Israel (6:28.10, IISA bio here, @ori.sela), 19-year-old Quinn Boyle of New Zealand (6:16.37, IISA bio here), and 24-year-old Virgile Poirier of France (6:24.91, IISA bio here).
The fastest heats of the women’s and men’s 500m freestyle will be held at the end of the afternoon session on Day 1 at 5:40 pm and 6:00 pm respectively.
Watch the live coverage of the IISA 6th World Championship here, hosted by Olympic swim coach Chris Morgan (@swim4chris) and organized by Ice Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer Paolo Chiarino (@paolochiarino).
Ram Barkai presided over tonight’s IISA 6th World Championship Opening Ceremony and pool preparations are underway:
© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“
A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.