56% of the Russian voting population voted in the fifth Russian presidential election held in the nation’s post-Soviet history.
Including several extreme swimmers who came to the voting polls in Siberia in their swimsuits in the -2°C weather. “We’ve voted like this four times already and plan to unite all Siberian ice swimmers for the next elections and vote simultaneously in our cities,” Alexander Zelenetsky.
Alexander, leader of the local Polar Bear Club in Barnaul, has organized many ice swims including a 16K swim across Lake Telets in 9-12°C in the Altai Republic during the Cup of Siberia and Far East on behalf of the Federation of Sport Winter Swimming (Aqua-ice-sport) Polar Bears. The event included a 200-meter butterfly, 650-meter shore-to-shore swim, a 2K shore-to-shore swim across the Kamga strait and the 16K swim (a 4K distance from point Istyube to Samysh + 12K distance from Samysh to Artybash).
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.