Courtesy of Vivienne Rickman-Poole, Snowdonia, Wales.

Although winter swimmers and ice swimmers do not dive in to start their competitions in sub-5ºC water, the aggressiveness and energy at their starts are just as evident and impressive as pool swimmers competing in chlorinated 26ºC traditional warm-water pools.

Vivienne Rickman-Poole captured this intensity at Kisakallion Urheiluopisto in Lohja, Finland when she photographed Päivi Pälvimäki (in red hat) with her colleagues and competitors.

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