The world champion of swimming in icy waters registered a time of 1 hour 55 minutes after swimming more than 9 kilometers from Punta Almanza - Tierra del Fuego, Argentina - until she reached the ramp in the city of Puerto Williams, in the Chilean Antarctic Province, which was her final goal. The Chilean athlete achieved the feat by overcoming the water temperature, which was barely ten degrees Celsius, and without using a wetsuit, a characteristic that earned her the nickname of the Little Ice Mermaid.
Regarding this milestone, the Undersecretary of Tourism, Mónica Zalaquett, said that "it is extremely important to highlight the professionalism of an athlete who has already accustomed us to breaking records. For us, it is a source of pride that Bárbara has carried out this activity in the extreme south of our country. In 2019, we were recognized as the Best Adventure Tourism Destination, for the fourth consecutive year at the World Travel Awards, and Barbara is an example of the adrenaline that can be experienced in Chile, where the impossible is possible."
For her part, the national director of Sernatur, Andrea Wolleter, said that "Chile has several places for all adventurers and international athletes to prefer us and carry out their activities, as in the case of Bárbara. She is a great ambassador for Chile and chose the Beagle Channel and the southernmost province of Chile to break a new record. The southernmost part of the country is a place of beautiful landscapes, where tourists can also go trekking, horseback riding and kayaking".
The executive director of Fundación Imagen de Chile, Constanza Cea, said that "Chile is proud of this great achievement of our ice mermaid, Bárbara Hernández. We want to tell the world these extraordinary stories of talented and hard-working Chileans who put our international image on a high level. No challenge is unattainable for Chileans and Bárbara demonstrates this, people who are capable of challenging themselves to always be more and achieve greater and amazing accomplishments".
Bárbara Hernández, the protagonist of the day, said: "I am very happy and grateful to achieve this unprecedented crossing, which we hope to validate internationally as a new route for open water swimmers worldwide. I am proud to be an ambassador of Chile and to swim in Chile for Chile, especially in Patagonia".
The award obtained by Barbara adds to her first place in the Winter Swimming World Cup 2018-2019 and her recent consecration as the first Chilean woman to cross 37 kilometers from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in 12 hours and 13 minutes, a crossing that was part of the Triple Crown and 7 challenge.
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