Colin Bushweller set new American records in the 1000-meter ice swim twice in 2020 – first in early January, then again in February.
Ice swimming is a growing branch of swimming where athletes compete in water below five degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit). Competition can take place in pools, or in bodies of water. To adjust for the extreme cold, races are performed without flip turns or dives – but wetsuits or other cold-water swimwear is not allowed.
On January 4, Bushweller competed in the one-kilometer race at the IISA (International Ice Swimming Association) World Cup in Veitsbronn, Germany. His 13:24.3 in the 1K bettered the former American record of 14:26, which had stood since 2015. The mark was formerly held by Craig Lenning, according to the IISA record database.
You can find full results of that meet here.
Only about a month later, at the IISA International World Cup in Altenworth, Austria, Bushweller lowered the mark again, going 12:43.20. According to IISA rankings, that’s the 17th-fastest time ever swum for the ice swimming 1K. The current world record stands at 11:55.40, set by Dutch swimmer Sven Elfferich in 2019.
You can see full results of that competition here.
Bushweller is currently a student at the University of Vermont, but is studying abroad in the Czech Republic and hitting the European ice swimming circuit in the meantime.
What’s the purpose of this event?
Same purpose as any event.
Colin has been an incredible young man to wirk with:.from his humble beginnings in his Prince Willian County Summer League (OBB) to setting big goals for High School Swim(Hylton HS) at VHSL States and Senior Champs in Potomac Valley (Occoquan Swimming). The comfort zone always made you uncomfortable. Keep crushing it champ!
So that’s what my coach was training me for