A record that takes your breath away! At 19, Simona Chiru won the gold medal at the European Ice Swimming Championship. The Romanian set a new world record in the 100 meters, freestyle. This in the conditions where the water temperature barely exceeded one degree Celsius.
1 minute, 3 seconds and 63 hundredths. That’s all Simona needed to beat the other contestants and return home with the gold, right at her first participation in the Europeans in frozen waters.
“This is the gold medal that I won at the European Ice Swimming Championship, in the 100 free, gold, and the silver medal in the 50 free. I competed in the 100m freestyle final with Alissa Fatum, a German who was called the queen of frozen waters, no one had beaten her before and I beat her for the first time. I impressed more people from more countries with this result”, says the young woman.
The water temperature barely exceeded 1 degree Celsius.
Swimming in cold waters requires, in addition to the usual training, a series of special trainings to prepare the body to avoid a thermal shock.
The athlete says that this is how she managed to strengthen her immunity and that she never catches a cold. She has been swimming since she was 5 years old, and she won her first medal at 6 years old. Even if it was just a hobby at first, swimming became his lifestyle. Simona is a law student, but before and after classes, she is only at the pool.
“I have a more difficult schedule compared to other children my age, I leave first thing in the morning and come back in the evening, at 7, 8”, says the girl.
Simona Chiru was selected to join the campaign “100 young people for the development of Romania”, organized by the Dan Voiculescu Foundation, as an example for all young people, with huge potential in shaping the future of our country.
The 100 young people will be included in the first catalog of Romanian excellence.
Tags: Simona Chiru #19yearold Romanian won gold medal European Ice Swimming Championship
