Hundreds of swimmers braved the freezing waters of Prague's Vltava River on Sunday in honor of winter swimming pioneer Alfred Nikodem. – REUTERS
The 360 participants from eight different countries, including Poland, United States and England, took part in the 100, 300 and 750 meter distances categories.
The air was -6 degrees Celsius, and the water temperature hovering between 3-4 degrees, the lowest temperature in many years.
Long distance swimmer Lenka Sterbova finished in 9 minutes and 11 seconds, winning the 750 meters race.
Alfred Nikodem was a well known Prague goldsmith and founder of winter swimming in the Czech countries. He braved the cold waters in Prague with his few fellows in 1923.
Five years later, more than fifty people were swimming with him. Since then, the tradition has been kept alive every year.
