Event Wrap - 2025 IISA World Ice Swimming Championships

A 16-strong team of New Zealand's bravest swimmers recently competed at the 2025 World Ice Swimming Championships in Molveno, Italy. Taking place in an outdoor pool in less than freezing conditions, the Frozen Ferns represented New Zealand with pride at the championships held between 13 - 19 January, taking home more than 50 medals and breaking six world records.
The team included current ice swimming world champions and age group record holders, as well as veteran swimmers who have represented New Zealand on the world stage in other swimming events.
For those who aren't familiar with Ice Swimming, it involves swimming in water at a temperature of 5.0°C (or less) unassisted, with a silicone cap, pair of goggles and standard swimming costume. The international body, the International Ice Swimming Association, have established a comprehensive set of safety and swimming rules together with worldwide swim records.
The World Championships are held in an Olympic sized swimming pool, and ice swimmers compete across all strokes in a range of distances up to the challenging 1000m. The championships brought together 752 athletes from 48 countries, with more than 3,500 starts and often more than 100 people in each event.
The team braved sub 2°C waters over the championships, with the air temperature fluctuating between 3°C and 5°C during the day and dropping to as cold as -7°C overnight. We'd like to acknowledge the incredible medical team that played an integral role in ensuring the safety of every swimmer after each time they were in the water, and a special shout out to the Frozen Ferns' medic team of Dr Karen Bisley and Bri Duffield who stepped up to voluntarily support the over-stretched Event Medical team.
There were plenty of exceptional performances over the course of the championships, with more than 50 medals earned by the Frozen Ferns, alongside five age group World Records and one open World Record set. A full list of medals and world records earned by the New Zealand team can be found at the bottom of this article.
One of the highlights of the championships came in the women's 200m individual medley, where three Kiwis were in the evening's open final. Emilia Finer (Neptune & Swim Dunedin) broke her own world record in the 200m individual medley en route to winning the open title, while there was some sibling rivalry for the bronze medal with Heidi Winter finishing ahead of her sister Sophie.
Finer rounded out the championships with an impressive eight medals, including two open world championship titles, plus one open and two age group world records.
16-year-old Heidi Winter (Alexandra) had an exceptional showing at the championships in Italy, taking home nine medals, three age group world records, and capturing New Zealand's maiden open title at a World Ice Swimming Championships when she won gold overall in the 100m freestyle on the third day of competition.
Sophie Winter (Alexandra) also picked up an open world championship title, taking out the women's 100m breaststroke in an incredible fashion by surging ahead in the final five meters to get her hand on the wall first. Winter earned a total of six medals over the course of the championships, meaning the Winter sisters left Italy with a whopping 15 medals between them.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Brynn impressed in the 1000m freestyle, breaking the 55-59 years age group world record. It was another family affair, with Brynn competing at the championships alongside her daughter Heidi Brynn.
Other standout performers included Cameron Stanley (Wanaka), who won the open bronze medal in the men's 100m backstroke on the opening day of competition, and Para swimmers Meg Agnew and Francois Lambrechts, who each picked up multiple medals over the course of the competition.
Ice Swimming New Zealand's Susan Sherwen spoke on the success of the team in Italy:
"I thought we did well at New Zealand's first World Championships two years ago, but this team has blown us all away. This year we have been making a big dent in the Open Medals as well. We are all very proud of the team."
The Frozen Ferns made a name for themselves poolside at the championships, acknowledged for their professionalism and supportive team culture. The team's cheer squad overlooked the pool from the upper deck, with their iconic white tasselled, handmade black beanies accompanying enthusiastic cheering from the Frozen Ferns throughout the competition. Honorary Frozen Fern, Laetitia Berten, was Team Captain, supporting and liaising with the team through the various changes and challenges an international competition of this calibre brings.
Roger Soulsy, Team Manager, spoke on the supportive team atmosphere:
"The raucous poolside support from the Frozen Ferns has not gone unnoticed, lifting the spirits of swimmers from around the world."
Congratulations to the entire Frozen Ferns team, alongside the incredible team medics, Dr Karen Bisley and Bri Duffield, and team manager, Roger Soulsby, on representing New Zealand so proudly on the international stage.
World Records
Open (WR)
Emilia Finer – Neptune Swim Club / Swim Dunedin
200m Individual Medley
Age Group (WR)
Emilia Finer (18-24 Years) – Neptune Swim Club / Swim Dunedin
500m Freestyle
200m Individual Medley
Heidi Winter (Under 17 Years) – Alexandra Swimming Club
50m Freestyle
100m Freestyle
200m Individual Medley
Charlotte Brynn (55-59 Years)
1000m Freestyle
Medals
Open
Emilia Finer – Neptune Swim Club / Swim Dunedin
Gold – Women's 100m Butterfly
Gold – Women's 200m Individual Medley
Silver – Women's 250m Freestyle
Silver – Women's 500m Freestyle
Sophie Winter – Alexandra Swimming Club
Gold – 100m Breaststroke
Silver – 50m Breaststroke
Silver – 50m Butterfly
Heidi Winter – Alexandra Swimming Club
Gold – 100m Freestyle
Bronze – 100m Backstroke
Bronze – 200m Individual Medley
Cameron Stanley – Wanaka Swim Club
Bronze – 100m Backstroke
Para
Meg Agnew
Bronze – 100m Breaststroke
Bronze – 50m Breaststroke
Francois Lambrechts
Gold – 500m Freestyle
Gold – 1000m Freestyle
Silver – 250m Freestyle
Bronze – 100m Freestyle
Age Group
Quinn Boyle (18-24 Years) – Selwyn Swim Club
Silver – 500m Freestyle
Silver – 1000m Freestyle
Charlotte Brynn (55-59 Years)
Gold – 1000m Freestyle
Silver – 250m Freestyle
Silver – 500m Freestyle
Heidi Brynn (25-29 Years)
Gold – 50m Freestyle
Gold – 100m Freestyle
Silver – 100m Backstroke
Bronze – 50m Butterfly
Bronze – 250m Freestyle
Emilia Finer (18-24 Years) – Neptune Swim Club / Swim Dunedin
Gold – Women's 100m Butterfly
Gold – Women's 200m Individual Medley
Gold – Women's 250m Freestyle
Gold – Women's 500m Freestyle
Madeline Hobo (18-24 Years)
Gold – 500m Freestyle
Gold – 100m Breaststroke
Bronze – 250m Freestyle
Kevin Hopkins (70-74 Years)
Bronze – 100m Freestyle
Bronze – 250m Freestyle
Bronze – 500m Freestyle
Stephen Moore (60-64 Years)
Bronze – 1000m Freestyle
Bethany Rogers (35-39 Years)
Silver – 100m Backstroke
Bronze – 200m Individual Medley
Bronze – 1000m Freestyle
Cameron Stanley (35-39 Years) – Wanaka Swim Club
Gold – 50m Backstroke
Gold – 100m Backstroke
Sophie Winter (18-24 Years) – Alexandra Swimming Club
Gold – 50m Butterfly
Silver – 100m Breaststroke
Bronze – 200m Individual Medley
Heidi Winter (Under 17 Years) – Alexandra Swimming Club
Gold – 50m Freestyle
Gold – 100m Freestyle
Gold – 250m Freestyle
Gold – 100m Backstroke
Gold – 100m Butterfly
Gold – 200m Individual Medley
Anneke Veenstra (45-49 Years) – Honorary Frozen Fern representing the Netherlands
Gold – 500m Freestyle
Silver – 250m Freestyle
Bronze – 1000m Freestyle
Frozen Ferns team
Meg Agnew
Helen Bolton
Quinn Boyle
Charlotte Brynn
Heidi Brynn
Maddy Copeland
Emilia Finer
Kevin Hopkins
Francois Lambrechts
Madeline Hobo
Stephen Moore
Bethany Rogers
Tatjana Schmidt
Cameron Stanley
Heidi Winter
Sophie Winter
Roger Soulsy – Team Manager
Dr Karen Bisley and Bri Duffield – Team Medics
Honorary Frozen Ferns
The following swimmers are New Zealand residents; they have trained and swam with the NZ team and represented the country of their citizenship (as per IISA rules) at the championships:
Laetitia Berten – Belgium
Anneke Veenstra – the Netherlands
Robyn Watts – USA
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