The International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) has included Romanian swimmer Paul Georgescu in the group of celebrities from different parts of our world who promote this extreme sport, Georgescu becoming thus the first Romanian to enter the "pantheon" of the international association.
The diploma that certifies his qualities as an athlete and promoter of the discipline will be officially awarded to him during the closing ceremony of the World Ice Swimming Championship in Molveno, Italy, which will take place next year over January 13-18, this year IISA granting only five other similar distinctions to athletes from different places of our world.
"It is a great recognition that I received from IISA for all my activity as an athlete, as well as for my contribution to the promotion and development of this discipline. This year, only six people received this great honor of entering the 'Hall of Fame' of swimming in frozen waters. In total, we are only 26 people," Paul Georgescu told AGERPRES.
He hopes to return to aquatic ultramarathon competitions next year, sawimming over distances of more than 20 kilometres.
"The year 2025 will be a year of transition from the cruising speed that I had in all the crossings to the speed of long-distance competitions. I will take it step by step and will start with amateur and semi-professional competitions, so that in 2026 I can compete in the elite or pro category. The first competition in 2025 will be the oldest competition in the world, namely the Capri-Napoli race, 36 kilometres. This time, I will participate in the amateurs, but with a precise target, a time under 8 hours and, of course, winning the race," mentioned Paul Georgescu.
Referring to the competition in January next year, he mentioned that Romania will be represented by 24 athletes.
"I would like at least the same number of medals as at the European Championships we organized in Oradea this year. We will have a strong group of 24 athletes who I am sure will do everything they can to keep Romania high in the medal standings. At the moment, we are the third force in Europe in this discipline, which unfortunately is not recognized in our country, even though in many countries it officially represents a branch of swimming," the Romanian athlete also said.
Paul Georgescu is the first Romanian swimmer to swim a mile in a pool with water at a temperature below 5 degrees Celsius, on February 4, 2019; he was the world champion in the 500-metre freestyle at the Murmansk Championship, on March 18, 2019; he was also the first athlete in the world to swim a mile in Antarctica, the race representing both the fastest extreme mile run at a water temperature below one degree Celsius, and the fastest mile swum at the Antarctic Circle, on February 22, 2020.
He also set, on February 10, 2021, a new Guinness World Record for the longest distance swum in frozen water, 3.51 kilometres in water with a temperature of 4.43 degrees Celsius, with a time of 57 minutes and 56 seconds.
All of his records were approved by IISA, an association founded in 2009, with members in 73 countries.