Race director and Ice Miler Florian Battermann hosted and organized the 2024 Silbersee Ice-Cup (@silberseeicecup) in Silbersee Langenhagen in northern Germany on November 30th and December 1st where over 100 athletes competed. The water temperature was 6.10°C with an air temperature of 0.0°C in an early season build-up to the IISA 6th World Championship to be held in Molveno, Italy starting on January 14th and running through the 19th, 2025.

Battermann served as the referee, IISA official, and event director with medical officer Melanie Battermann and the help of volunteers to oversee the 50m, 100m, 500m, and 1000m freestyle, 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke, 50m butterfly, and 4 x 50m mixed freestyle relay.

Perennial winner Christof Wandratsch won both the 500m and 1000m freestyle events while Barbara Resch won the 1000m and Annemarie Meyer won the 500m.

1000m Freestyle Women’s Results

1. Barbara Resch (54) 18:50.44
2. Elke Ortloff (71) 22:33.62
3. Mariangela Leonardi (57) 25:40.63
4. Antje Schwartz (59) 35:15.00

1000m Freestyle Men’s Results

1. Christof Wandratsch (58) 14:45.56
2. Stefan Runge (57) 15:44.87
3. Jens Trommer (56) 21:57.78
4. Rado Paegelow (50) 25:11.03

500m Freestyle Women’s Results

1. Annemarie Meyer (21) 11:44.72
2. Claudia Wittke (54) 12:17.09
3. Andrea Krone (54) 12:18.13
4. Karin Freutsmiedl (49) 14:28.12

500m Freestyle Men’s Results

1. Christof Wandratsch (58) 7:12.75
2. Jonas Coene (33) 9:23.47
3. Jens Trommer (56) 9:57.03
4. Rado Paegelow (50) 11:15.53

In the 100m freestyle, Graef Kilian (19) and Lisa Holm (21, 1:28.66) won. In the 100m breaststroke, Jonas Coene (33, 1:34.22) and Eva Maria Elpers (32, 1:12.32) won. In the 50m freestyle, Graef Kilian (19, 31.12) and Sarah Anne Richter (47, 37.19) won. In the 50m breaststroke, Jonas Coene (33, 43.53) and Sarah Anne Richter (47, 48.50) won. In the 50m butterfly, Graef Kilian (19, 35.34) and Sarah Anne Richter (47, 42.50) won. In the 200m breaststroke, Jonas Coene (33, 3:38.94) and Nicole Kruettgen (47, 4:02.69) won.

Paraswimmer Tina Deeken who placed 2nd in the 100m freestyle and 200m breaststroke, 4th in the 100m breaststroke, 3rd in the 50m freestyle, and 8th in the 50m breaststroke on a busy weekend at the Silbersee Ice-Cup. Deeken explains, “I competed six times over the two days in the 50m breaststroke, 200m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle, and 100m breaststroke. The recovery between the swims was also a challenge. The highlight was the 100m freestyle, where I won the silver medal in the open classification (1:43.78) as well as the para classification and 2nd place in the AK45.

The range of competitors was impressive. The oldest female participant was Elisabeth Milzner at 79 years old; the oldest man was the 71-year-old Achim Rehberg. The youngest participants were Wilma Ovine Nicolai born in 2010 and Anna Helene Richter born in 2009 won the 100m breaststroke. Her mother Sarah Anne Richter won each of her starts in the 50m breaststroke, 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle. Tobias Prüßner from the organizing club SSF Obernkirchen finished 3rd place in the 50m freestyle.

A mobile sauna and a hot tub on the banks of the Silbersee were available for the participants to warm up after the ice swimming. A big thank you goes to the entire organization team around Florian Battermann and Anke Rubien who spent months of preparation to ensure that the Silbersee Ice Cup could take place again. We would also like to thank all the volunteers, especially the team from Move2gether and the DLRG Langenhagen for their tireless efforts on both days of the competition.”

For complete results, see here.

The Silbersee Ice Cup kicked off the German Ice Cup 2024/25, a competition series consisting of four ice swimming competitions in which swimmers can collect points for the overall ranking on various distances. The Ice Cup in Langenhagen is followed by the VEItSbadcup in Veitsbronn near Nürnberg, the ice swimming competition in Burghausen on the Austrian border in Upper Bavaria, and the final race, the German Championships in Neuhermsdorf on the Czech border in Saxony.

For more information on the Silbersee Ice-Cup, visit www.silbersee-ice-cup.de.

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