Winter Swimmers With Hot Performance in Icy Jurmala
Estonians made a splash at the world championships in winter swimming held in Jurmala, Latvia over the weekend, bringing home 16 gold medals.
With 36 medals, the national team was second overall. Russia was first and Finland was third. Over 20 nations competed; host Latvia was tied for fifth.
Henri Kaarma, the world champion in the 450 meter endurance event, was a standout in the marathon.
"No one expected such a bounty of medals, we got ten medals at the world championship two years ago. Now the delegation is larger and the medal tally was much better than expected," Kaarma said on Kuku Radio. He also won the silver in the 25 meter freestyle and bronze in the 50 meters, where he was edged by compatriot Bruno Nopponen.
His winning time in the "marathon" was 5 minutes, 45 seconds. "Only two seconds separated me from the silver winner," he said.
Kaarma said the Estonians were the only contenders in some events, such as the women's 25 meter breaststroke, where they took the top four spots.
Kristopher Rikken