Results courtesy of www.zeitnehmung.at, Veitsbronn, Germany.

Young Hanna Bakuniak from Szczecin, Poland upset local favorite and her top German rival Julia Wittig in the 2018 Ice Swimming Aqua Sphere German Open 1 km race.

In the 3.8°C (38.8°F) water, Bakuniak set a new world record of 13:05.7 which broke the existing world record of 13:13.58 set by Wittig at the 2017 Ice Swimming Aqua Sphere World Championships in same venue. Wittig, a 38-year-old local school teacher and defending ice kilometer world champion, was just off her best time with a 13:15.2.

Ice Kilometer Women’s Overall Results:
1. Hanna Bakuniak (Polish Ogrodnik Team, Poland) 13:05.7
2. Julia Wittig (Serwus Burghausen e.V., Germany) 13:15.2
3. Victoria Mori (Argentina) 14:19.7
4. Sarah Anne Richter (SSG 81 Erlangen, Germany) 15:13.9
5. Birgit Bonauer (Serwus Burghausen e.V., Germany) 15:46.8
6. Marion Joffle (L’Ois’eau libre, France) 15:56.9
7. Kerstin Thomas (Germany) 16:07.2
8. Jane Mulderrig (Yorkshire Outdoor Swimmers, Great Britain) 18:06.0
9. Conny Prasser (KeepFrozen e.V., Germany) 18:15.2
10. Antje Mexner (Wassersportfreunde, Germany) 18:20.4
11. Britta Uhde (Triathlöwen Bremen, Germany) 18:35.6
12. Peggy Henning (Aqua Berlin e.V., Germany) 18:46.6
13. Elke Ortloff (SSV Ostring, Germany) 19:46.6

14. Birgit Becher (KeepFrozen e.V., Germany) 20:14.0
15. Maria Stelzer (Germany) 20:47.8
16. Pavlína Procházková (Czech Republic) 21:22.4
17. Kathrin Döring (Warmduscher, Germany) 22:38.9
18. Claudia Wittke (SV 13 Gladbeck, Germany) 22:43.8
19. Sandra Brettar (Merchweiler Seelöwen, Germany) 24:13.5
20. Çilem Flad (SVL/ NeckarNixen, Germany) 27:57.3

There was also an upset by a young up-and-comer over a favored veteran and defending world champion on the men’s side.

Fergil Hersterman of the Netherlands upset heavily favored Bulgarian rival Petar Stoychev in the 1 km final, 12:38.73 versus 12:39.64 in 3.8°C water and 6°C air.

Hesterman, 17 years younger than the Bulgarian Olympian, dramatically dropped his time from the 2017 Ice Swimming Aqua Sphere World Championships from 13:08.10 to 12:38.73 while Stoychev was off his world record time of 12:15.87.

Ice Kilometer Men’s Overall Results:
1. Fergil Hersterman (IISA Netherlands, Netherlands) 12:38.7
2. Petar Stoychev (Swimming club “LEVSKI” – Sofia, Bulgaria) 12:39.6
3. Christof Wandratsch (KeepFrozen e.V. Team Aqua Sphere, Germany) 13:29.0
4. Sebastian Engel (Germany) 13:57.4
5. Marcus Reineke (Rinteln, Germany) 14:00.7
6. Stefan Runge (AMTV-FTV Hamburg, Germany) 14:26.4
7. Martin Tschepe (SVL / swim.de, Germany) 15:15.2
8. Jakub Valnicek (Czech Republic) 15:52.0
9. Piotr Biankowski (UKS Tri Team Rumia, Poland) 15:54.9
10. Mark Gardner (Yorkshire Outdoor Swimmers, Great Britain) 15:55.0
11. Florian Battermann (SSF Obernkirchen, Germany) 16:26.8
12. Hamza Bakircioglu (Wonnemar Sonthofen, Turkey) 16:39.7
13. Theo Pearson (Germany) 16:46.8
14. Zdenĕk Sláma (Czech Republic) 16:52.2
15. Jan Bendl (Czech Republic) 16:59.5
16. Philippe Fort (L’Ois’eau libre, France) 17:28.4
17. Ram Barkai (South Africa, shown above with Hanna Bakuniak) 17:36.3
18. Martin Kuchenmeister (Team Kuchi, Austria) 17:48.4
19. Matthias Kassner (Germany) 17:56.4
20. Uli Munz (TSV Bad Saulgau, Germany) 18:27.5
21. Jonathan Coe (Great Britain) 18:41.7
22. Alexandre Fuzeau (Vikings de Rouen, France) 20:25.7
23. Adrian Wittwer (Alejandro, Switzerland) 21:21.6
24. Thomas Himmler (SwRun4fun, Germany) 21:26.0
25. Andreas Bergler (SB Delphin Augsburg, Germany) 23:29.3

Live streaming of the event between January 5th – 7th can be seen here.

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