Courtesy of Nuala Moore from inside the Polar Circle.
With the air temperature around Lake Semenovskoe in Murmansk at -7°C and the water temperature at 0.8°C, the biggest city in the world inside the Arctic Circle, showcased history’s greatest ice swimming competition at the inaugural World Ice Swimming Championships in Murmansk, Russia,.
In the men’s 1 km race, the showdown featured Germany’s Christof Wandratsch, Russia’s Albert Sobirov, and Estonia’s Henri Kaarma.
The level of competition could not get any better. “It was an amazing race with stunning performances,” describes Nuala Moore. “It is hard to believe the speed and the brilliance of these guys.”
The first, second and third best in the world swimming head-to-head was an ice swimming fan’s dream come true to witness.
The final results:
1. Christof Wandratsch of Germany – 13:00
2. Albert Sobirov of Russia – 13:41
3. Henri Kaarma of Estonia – 14:17
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