Masters Swimmer Takes on Ice World Championships in Italy

Having been associated with the club for over 20 years, Cathy initially got involved through the lessons-to-club programme when her children were young. More recently, she has been swimming with the masters squad for the past decade, although life has occasionally interrupted training.

The Ice World Championships presented a particularly tough challenge, as the competition rules state that for results to count towards records, the water temperature must be 5.0°C or lower. In Molveno, the temperature was close to 1°C for several of Cathy's races, significantly colder than the 6°C conditions Cathy had been training in.

“The difference in temperature was a real shock,” Cathy admitted. “I struggled a little with acclimatisation, but the atmosphere at these events is always fantastic. Ice swimming is such a friendly sport, and it’s great to see ex and current Olympians getting involved.”

Competing in the 60-64 age group, Cathy put in a remarkable performance, securing a gold medal in the 250m, silvers in the 500m, 100m, and 1km events, and finishing fourth in the 50m. Despite normally excelling in the 1km, she found the extreme cold took its toll after 600m, though her existing world record for the distance remains intact.

Looking ahead, Cathy hopes to compete at the next Ice World Championships in 2026 in Megève, France. “I’ll be 64 by then, so there will be some fast youngsters to race against, but that’s part of the fun!” she said.

For anyone curious about ice swimming, Cathy is always happy to share her experience. “The sprints are very manageable if you swim outside year-round and take cold showers,” she added. With the possibility of ice swimming being included as a test event in the Milan Winter Olympics, there has never been a better time to get involved.