Latest news with #marathonSwimming
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Creme de la creme' of swimmers visit Jersey
International athletes described as the "creme de la creme" of long distance swimming have visited from the USA, Mexico and Croatia were among those in the island on Saturday to be inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of awards ceremony takes place in a different location each year when athletes gather to receive their honours, attend a conference and coach Sally Minty-Gravett MBE, who hosted the event, said the top class athletes wanted to return to the island for more swimming. She said the swimmers had all achieved incredible feats of endurance. "We've got Oceans Seven swimmers, we've got Ice Sevens swimmers, which are the people who have done ice miles in the seven continents, we've got people from the Farallon Islands here and from San Francisco," said Mrs Minty-Gravett."These are the crème de la crème and they have all said how lovely and fantastic it was and they will all be back to swim around Jersey." Ned Denison, chairman of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, said Jersey was ideal for the event."We look for locations where we can do a weekend, where we can swim, where people will want to come," he said. "Jersey had that community which we knew we would not only have a crowd but a crowd that's interested." Fifty swimmers attended the event and 36 of them took part in a swimming race from Green Island to Harve des Pas on Saturday morning. American open water swimmer Grace van der Byl won the race and said: "Beautiful, it was utterly beautiful, everything I expected the swim to be, chilly but beautiful."Van der Byl was also being inducted into the Hall of Fame at the awards evening.I don't know if this is necessarily something I deserve but I am grateful for it," she said. Jersey has three places in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. In 2005 Sally Minty-Gravett was inducted, Charlie Gravett in 2016 and the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club was also inducted in 2015. Scottish open water swimmer Colleen Blair MBE said swimming in Jersey was "special". "I think there is such a history here and that I have done an around Jersey and a Jersey to France and they are amazing swims," she said."I think the conditions, the club, Sally and a lot of the history just makes it even more special."
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC Audio Chile's ice mermaid and her record-breaking glacial swims
Bárbara Hernández is affectionately known in Chile as the Ice Mermaid, she swims in often glacially cold waters and holds the record for the longest swim in Antarctica. She swam in water that was 2°C for a mind-boggling 2.5 kilometres. She's also the first South American to have completed the Oceans 7, a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open water channel swims: she had an extra incentive for finishing that one as she promised her boyfriend she'd marry him if she succeeded. It's all an unexpected turn for the little girl who was laughed at for wearing second-hand swimming costumes and never felt good enough in the pool. The list of underwater predators that Amos Nachoum has photographed is long - it includes the Nile crocodile, the great white shark, orcas, anacondas and many other creatures that most of us would hope never to encounter. But for Amos that list was incomplete, his dream, his white whale, was to swim with a polar bear and photograph it. His first attempt went badly wrong, but it did not deter him and in 2015 he made his second attempt. He shares his account of that adventure with Outlook's Saskia Collette. This interview was first broadcast in 2021. To hear the full story search for BBC Outlook Swimming with polar bears - a photographer's 'crazy' dream. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Andrea Kennedy Get in touch: outlook@ or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: Bárbara Hernández swimming in front of an Antarctic glacier. Credit: Ulises Yañez)
