Moscow swimmer Yekaterina Nekrasova has claimed a new world record for the longest under-ice swim on Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest and oldest lake.
Bone-chilling footage showed Nekrasova swimming an 85-meter distance beneath the ice without surfacing for 1.5 minutes. She breaststroked through the 0-degree-Celsius waters wearing neither a wet suit nor flippers.
The video showed backup teams cutting through the 25-centimeter-thick ice at regular intervals in case Nekrasova, 40, needed to abort the swim.
“Eighty-five meters! A world record!” a voice can be heard saying as Nekrasova flashed an “OK” sign after surfacing into the frigid air of minus 22 C.
State media reported that Nekrasova had accomplished the feat at an annual Orthodox Christmas swim meet on Lake Baikal last week.
It did not report whether the Russian Book of Records or Guinness World Records were on hand to document Nekrasova’s achievement, which beat the current under-ice swim record of 70 meters set by South African Amber Fillary in Norway last year.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
![](["https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/_J_8GnLTf0E\/maxresdefault.jpg","https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/_J_8GnLTf0E\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/_J_8GnLTf0E\/default.jpg","https:\/\/static.themoscowtimes.com\/img\/article_video.jpg"])
![](["https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/VdQtNgi3C8k\/maxresdefault.jpg","https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/VdQtNgi3C8k\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/VdQtNgi3C8k\/default.jpg","https:\/\/static.themoscowtimes.com\/img\/article_video.jpg"])
![](["https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/zdKtDhh8dBQ\/maxresdefault.jpg","https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/zdKtDhh8dBQ\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/zdKtDhh8dBQ\/default.jpg","https:\/\/static.themoscowtimes.com\/img\/article_video.jpg"])