Braník Ice 2015 – First Prague Cold-Water Swimming Club

Updated with the PrahaTV report

Nearly two hundred swimmers took part in the thirteenth Braník Ice in Prague-Braník on Saturday 31 January. For the fourth time, it also served as the Ladislav Nicek Memorial. At the opening, swimmers and his son, Ladislav Nicek Jr, remembered “Laďa”, the elder statesman of Czechoslovak winter swimming, whose last swim with them had been at Braník Ice in 2011. With plenty of organisers and rescue personnel ensuring safety, everyone could walk upstream to their starting points immediately after the opening. The untimed 100 and 250 metres were completed in quick succession, and soon the timed 500-metre swimmers were finishing too.

The fastest man was host-club newcomer and experienced triathlete Jiří Martinka of I. PKO Praha. Of the three women, Milena Fenclová of KSO Plzeň was fastest.

Next came the 750-metre swimmers. Although the river qualified as “merely” flowing water, it was fast enough to make the experienced timekeepers sweat, even in air at freezing point, as groups arrived together. There was no doubt about the winners, however. Speedy Michal Hájek of Univerzita Brno swam this distance only because he lacked the required cold-water grade; otherwise, he would have challenged for the kilometre podium. The women’s winner was a surprise: Sylva (Zuzka) Kouřilová of Fides Brno comfortably beat Zábřeh prospect Veronika Krejčí.

Water at 4.0°C offered only the second opportunity this season to earn the master performance grade. Seventy-one swimmers, including fifteen women, took advantage over 1,000 metres. As expected, Rostislav Vítek of Fides Brno was the undisputed king in 9:15. Favourite Renata Nováková of SCPA Pardubice finished second overall and comfortably first among women in 10:30. Men’s silver went to Roman Křupka of PK Zábřeh, with Jakub Valníček of I. PKO Praha third. Dana Zbořilová of TJ Haná, Prostějov, won the battle for women’s second place ahead of Andrea Kubcová of SK Náchod.

The oldest participant was Hradec Králové’s Jiří Soukup, SoHK, born in 1927. The joint youngest were David Sebera, I. PKO, and Pavel Schirlo, SK Náchod, both born in 1998.

At the event’s usual base, the leading swimmers received prizes from a welcome guest, popular Slovak actress Zuzana Kronerová. Alongside fellow actor Vladimír Javorský, she was getting to know the cold-water swimming community. Both were expected to play leading roles in a new film by director Bohdan Sláma in which cold-water swimming would be important. Zuzana greeted the swimmers, expressed her admiration and, swept up in the occasion, committed herself to a future in cold-water swimming. She then presented prizes from main partner Oborová zdravotní pojišťovna, publisher Mladá fronta and Agama, the Czech and Slovak Republics’ largest manufacturer of neoprene and membrane suits.

Braník Ice was also the final opportunity to qualify for the Czech freestyle championships, scheduled for Saturday 7 February in Brno. Prague will host one further Czech Winter Swimming Cup event this season: the breaststroke championships in Podolí Swimming Stadium’s unheated outdoor pool on 28 February.