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WATCH: Woman Breaks Guinness World Record by Swimming a Distance of 295 Feet Under Ice

Published 04/26/2022, 10:00 AM EDT

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All records are broken at some point in time, irrespective of difficulty or bizarreness. Many a time, previous record-holders manage to break their own world records. Guinness World Records documented such an instance when professional ice swimmer Amber Fillary from South Africa broke her previous world record.

Fillary’s current ice swimming record

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She registered her previous world record in 2020 when she swam a distance of 229.659 feet (70 meters), holding her breath in Oppsjø, Norway.

This time, though, she was able to surpass her previous record without breaking a sweat, surfacing at a distance of 295 feet and 3 inches (90 meters). With this, she was able to put her earlier record behind by an astonishing 20 meters, establishing a new world record in ice swimming.

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Also, she achieved both feats in sub-zero temperatures in a frozen lake without the aid of a breathing apparatus, fins, and diving suit.

 

Her previous record was a spectacular display of human ability. Therefore, managing to add another 20 meters to it in just a couple of years is both amazing and surprising.

Ice swimming is an activity where swimmers plunge themselves into frozen lakes to cover a distance in sub-zero temperatures. An extreme form of this sport is swimming beneath an ice sheet.

Additionally, Amber holds the world record for the longest underwater walk in a single breath by a female athlete by walking a distance of 359 feet 6 inches (109.60 meters). She pulled off this record in Dahab, South Sinai, Egypt.

Challenges faced by Amber Fillary

For her latest attempt, Fillary underwent training that involved dynamic apnea and similar breath-holding exercises. She practiced these exercises at her local swimming pool. Furthermore, she started working out and included running in her list of physical activities.

Fillary relocated to Berlin five days before the day of her record. She did this to acclimatize to the cold. Subsequently, moving to Norway, to practice ice swimming in the very lake, where she achieved this phenomenal feat.

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She did this to adapt to the conditions of the lake. Attempting such feats come with risks, and a lack of understanding of the surroundings could prove fatal. It is, therefore, important that the person attempting such an act be aware of the temperature, the density of the ice sheet, and the depth of the water body beforehand.

Watch This Story- “Broke Like 200..”- Michael Phelps Was Just 8 When He Started Breaking National Swimming Records

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Despite the challenging atmosphere, Amber admitted that she enjoyed the training sessions thoroughly.

Apart from being a professional ice swimmer, Fillary is also a motivational speaker and an artist.

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Written by:

Aklanta Chetia

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Aklanta Chetia Wanniang is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. He has a Master's degree in Literature from the University of Delhi. With an interest in learning about multiple sports, Aklanta himself is a former sportsperson and has participated in state and national level swimming events.
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Edited by:

Simar Singh Wadhwa