To a nature surrounded by ice and forests, with a wind chill of minus 17 degrees Celsius in Siberia, eastern Russia, came to represent Chile the specialist in aquatic marathons and icy water swimming, Bárbara Hernández.
In zero-degree waters, the also known "ice mermaid" won 3 gold medals and 7 silver medals in the fifth edition of the Tyumen Open Cup, one of the stages of the Winter Swimming World Cup, which this year gathered 348 participants from 12 countries. The athlete not only won 10 medals, but also achieved her best time in the 450-meter freestyle, with 6 minutes and 30 seconds.
"I am very happy and proud to have represented Chile and to have taken our flag to the podium of the Tyumen Open Cup for the first time. It was a very challenging competition, but Chileans have grit and endurance, and we know how to get through the most difficult situations. I am very fortunate to do what I love the most, which is to represent our country and push myself to the limit," said Bárbara Hernández.
Barbara's effort, perseverance and determination have led her to represent the country multiple times abroad. These values that she takes to the world in each of her competitions were recognized by the Fundación Imagen de Chile, an institution that recently signed the first alliance of ambassadors with the swimmer, to enhance the role of Chilean athletes as promoters of the country's image.
This alliance aims to involve citizen ambassadors with Imagen de Chile. In addition to her talent and achievements, Bárbara Hernández practices a sport that is unknown in our country, however, our territory has the necessary geographical conditions to practice swimming in icy waters in different locations, such as Patagonia, in the southern sea, rivers and lakes. These places provide the opportunity to develop this sport and promote Chile as a destination for extreme competitions.
"For Imagen de Chile it is an honor to have Bárbara Hernández as our ambassador. She is a faithful reflection of the spirit of Chileans who, with great perseverance, fight every day to achieve their goals. The image of a country is latent in the people who carry its flag, and this is what Bárbara demonstrated on the other side of the world."said the executive director of Imagen de Chile, Constanza Cea.
The next big challenge for the world champion in zero degrees Celsius swimming and current number 1 in the world ranking for the second consecutive year of the International Winter Swimming Association (IWSA), is to complete Ocean's Seven, a marathon that consists of swimming across the seven longest and most difficult straits or channels in the world. Barbara has already completed the Catalina Long Beach Channel (United States), the Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco - Spain) and the English Channel (England - France), and has yet to cross the Molokai Channel (United States), the North Channel (Ireland - Scotland), the Cook Strait (New Zealand) and the Tsugaru Strait (Japan).
Other related news
