Ice swimmer Francois Lambrechts has just nabbed a clutch of medals at the International Ice Swimming Association’s World Championship, which took place in Molveno, Italy.
In the para division, he won gold in the 1000m and 500m, silver in the 250m and bronze in the 100m.
Ice Swimming is swimming in water at a temperature of 5°C or below while wearing a silicon cap, pair of goggles and standard swimming costume.
Lambrechts swims under the para S10 classification due to having a neurological disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A.
He chronicled his trip with regular blog post updates on social media describing his journey, including arriving at Lake Molveno, completing a full medical before the event and trying out a swim in the freezing waters of the lake.
Before his first event, officials had needed to clear a four- to five-inch layer of ice from the outdoor competition pool, which was only 2°C, then circulate the water to keep it from refreezing, he said.
As he trained for his 500m race, he had wondered how he would survive a kilometre when swimming already felt like "medieval torture", he said.
But survive and thrive he did, and he thanked all his supporters who helped make the "incredible experience" possible, as he brought home his haul of medals.
