On 29 January, the last Saturday of the month, I. plavecký klub otužilců Praha held the 19th Branické ledy competition. The event also bears the name Ladislav Nicek Memorial, honouring the veteran cold-water swimmer whose final competition was here on 5 February 2011, shortly before his 98th birthday. This was therefore also the Memorial’s tenth edition. The event returned after a two-year break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the water had remained just above 4°C in the preceding days, the Vltava surprised swimmers on race day with a temperature of 3.8°C. This allowed them to earn the cold-water proficiency grades required for further events in the Czech Winter Swimming Cup.
After registration in the AC Sparta Praha building, the swimmers assembled on the Vltava’s bank. Event director and host club chair Tomáš Prokop welcomed everyone and, together with Ladislav Nicek Jr and Vladimír Urban, presented a trophy to the oldest participant: 82-year-old Bohumil Pácl from the Haná Prostějov Open Water and Winter Swimming Club. Vladimír Urban, a former mayor of Roudnice, donated this oldest-swimmer challenge trophy while in office. The connection is fitting: Ladislav Nicek Sr was born in Roudnice nad Labem and later became an honorary citizen. The youngest participant was thirteen-year-old Vítek Marcel Škarohlíd of Slavia Liberec Swimming Club.
After the assembly, experienced starter Petr Hubal led the swimmers to their courses. They walked upstream, with each group starting at the point measured for its chosen distance.
The distances were 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1,000 metres. The longest, one-kilometre course proved most popular, attracting 67 men and women. It started at the Hodkovičky boathouse; all courses finished, as usual, near the AC Sparta Praha building. Two large heated tents awaited swimmers close to the finish — a new feature this year, as was the electronic chip-timing system and finish gantry, providing reliable, precise results.
Pre-race favourite Jiří Polanský won the kilometre in 10 minutes 41 seconds. His brother Vít Polanský was the second man home in 11:09; both swim for USK Praha. I. PKO Praha’s Libor Štědroň finished third in 12:01. Just one second later, Renata Nováková (SCPAP) crossed the line in 12:02 to win the women’s race. Kristýna Dyková was second in 13:19 and Pavlína Procházková third in 14:26, both representing the host club.
Once every distance was complete, the awards ceremony took place in the AC Sparta Praha gym. The first three finishers on each course received a special prize from this year’s Branické ledy sponsor, Pivovar Moucha. The fastest woman and man over one kilometre, for example, each received a voucher for a fifteen-litre keg.
Altogether, 223 swimmers enjoyed the 19th Branické ledy and tenth Ladislav Nicek Memorial, coming from across the Czech Republic and also Slovakia, England and Hong Kong. English Channel swimmers Kristýna Dyková, Jana Procházková, Richard Haan, Jakub Valníček and Chun Kong Mak were among them.
Thank you to all the swimmers for taking part, and to the family members whose hard work helped organise the event and keep the whole day running smoothly. We look forward to seeing you next year on the Vltava’s right bank in Prague-Braník!
