Moscow swimmer Yekaterina Nekrasova has claimed a new world record for the longest under-ice swim on Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest and oldest lake.
Bone-chilling footage showed Nekrasova swimming an 85-meter distance beneath the ice without surfacing for 1.5 minutes. She breaststroked through the 0-degree-Celsius waters wearing neither a wet suit nor flippers.
The video showed backup teams cutting through the 25-centimeter-thick ice at regular intervals in case Nekrasova, 40, needed to abort the swim.
“Eighty-five meters! A world record!” a voice can be heard saying as Nekrasova flashed an “OK” sign after surfacing into the frigid air of minus 22 C.
State media reported that Nekrasova had accomplished the feat at an annual Orthodox Christmas swim meet on Lake Baikal last week.
It did not report whether the Russian Book of Records or Guinness World Records were on hand to document Nekrasova’s achievement, which beat the current under-ice swim record of 70 meters set by South African Amber Fillary in Norway last year.
Russian Swimmer’s Underwater Dances Take Over TikTok
Kristina Makushenko, a synchronized swimming champion from Russia, has been making waves on TikTok by performing jaw-dropping underwater routines to popular songs.
The swimmer, who is from Moscow and started competing in synchronized swimming at age nine, has won gold four times at world championships and twice at European championships.
Since retiring from professional synchronized swimming, Makushenko moved to Miami and started working as a coach. She also launched a TikTok, where she’s gone viral for dancing to Beyonce, Justin Bieber and more — all while holding her breath underwater.
«I just love how synchronized swimming embodies the highest level of artistry and fluidity and how it allows you to combine your emotions with music,» she has said.
Makushenko re-creates Michael Jackson’s iconic moonwalk underwater.
Clocks have never looked more graceful.
Makushenko pays her respects to Beyonce’s Super Bowl performance by walking to a beat in a 360-degree circle. In Heels. Underwater.
How she’s able to stay on beat while underwater remains a mystery.
