Madeline Hobo - world champion

Taranaki's latest world champion is Madeline Hobo

It is a fair bet that Stratford's Madeline Hobo had the best holiday story to tell to her class mates when she returned to school this week.

Sixteen-year-old Madeline returned home only a week ago from the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) world championships. This was held in Molveno, Italy, and involved approximately 750 other ice swimmers. Her attendance was only possible through a grant from the Taranaki Electricity Trust.

There was pressure on Madeline to perform after she attained a junior world record at the South Hemisphere championships, held last July. She did not disappoint, claiming gold in the 500m under-18 section.

Madeline also won gold in the 100m breaststroke and bronze in the 250m freestyle.

The toughness of the event was perhaps best summarised on the first morning of competition. The pool was frozen over and 10cm of thick ice had to be removed before the swimming could commence.

Congratulations, Madeline.