Swimming in icy waters under 3°C is not for the faint-hearted but Marcelle Stiemens (58) showed her mettle at the International Ice Swimming Association Ice Swimming World Championship in Molveno, Italy.

According to an article published by Northglen News, Stiemens, who represented South Africa at the championship earlier this year, won six medals and broke four world records in her age group.

Stiemens, who is head of aquatics at Danville Park Girls’ High School, won four gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

She won gold in the 50m fly, 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke. She also won the 200m individual medley race. Her wins saw her break four world records.

The masters swimmer also won a silver medal in the 1 000m freestyle event.

Stiemens, who also coaches at various schools in the Durban North area, says her faith in Christ and her perseverance helped her triumph at the championship.

“For me, the championship was not about the medals, it was showing you can overcome anything through the power of Jesus Christ.

“I also see it as an opportunity to encourage and help inspire others to take on challenges. Don’t let unfavourable outcomes take away opportunities from you. As a sport, ultra-marathon and ice swimming have taught me about resilience and fortitude. So often when it comes to unfavourable circumstances in our lives, we treat it as such. We should rather look at it as an opportunity to persevere and overcome, trusting in God always,” she says.

Her open water swimming journey began in 2016.

“In 2011, I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and then rheumatoid arthritis, four years later. I was told I’d never be able to swim or run again. But in 2017, I came to salvation in Christ by grace through faith. Seeking a fresh start, I moved to Cape Town and joined a group of open water swimmers. At that point, I had all but given up on swimming. I had never attempted open water swimming before, but with this group, I discovered adventure. The bug had bitten.

“I swam my first Robben Island in December 2017, a double Robben Island in February 2019 and then went on to swim the English Channel (33km) in August that same year.

“The day of the swim from England to France, I didn’t have the best of conditions. I started at 01:30 in the morning with a fair swell running on the English side. I completed the swim in 11 hours and 29 minutes. It was a great experience and cemented my journey to ultramarathon and ice swimming events,” she says.

Stiemens also represented South Africa at the World Ice Swimming Championship in Murmansk, Russia, in 2019, where she won three gold medals and a silver medal.

She has some exciting ultra-marathon and ice swims planned for 2025 and 2026.

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