Event staff use long tools to break and move ice from the race lanes on a snowy lakeside course.
(Luke Bihet)

A Guernsey man who travelled to Finland to compete in the Winter Swimming World Championships said finishing last in both his races felt as good as winning a gold medal.

Luke Bihet (26) was part of a team representing Guernsey at the championships in Oulu – just 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle.

Mr Bihet told Express he “said from the start that I wasn’t here to win medals, as nice as that would be, I was here to face anxiety head on and tell it to get stuffed”.

‘Competing was enough’

“I came to prove I could do it, have some fun and get a fridge magnet,” he added, “Just being part of the competition was more than enough for me.”

While he was “not an athlete by any means” he was proud of his “participation medal that I can pretend is a gold medal”.

  • Swimmers in an outdoor ice‑water pool move through marked lanes while flags from various countries hang on a fence behind them.
  • A person in a long green coat walks across a frozen waterfront area filled with large cut ice blocks, with banners reading Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture.
  • A team in matching green coats stands on podium blocks indoors, raising their arms in celebration beside event sponsor boards.
  • A group of 3 women and a man in swimsuits and long insulated green coats stand together outdoors in a snowy area at what looks like a winter‑swimming event. One woman holds part of a red‑and‑white flag, and colourful banners and spectators are visible in the background.
  • Swimmers and officials stand on a snowy dock beside ice‑cut lanes, with people in robes and swim caps preparing to race.
  • A partly-frozen competition pool with slushy ice in the water as staff clear the surface at sunrise.
  • An outdoor ice‑swimming venue with swimmers in lanes cut into a frozen lake, surrounded by snow and event staff.
  • Crowds in winter clothing watch an outdoor event at a multi‑lane ice‑cut swimming pool on a frozen lake.
  • Competitors in robes and winter gear sit and gather inside a concrete building during an event briefing; one robe shows a Guernsey team logo.
  • Three women and a man wearing the same green insulated coats and swim caps sit indoors on chairs near a large window. Sunlight shines across the room, and the setting appears to be a waiting for the event.
  • People in matching green winter coats stand on a snowy plain beside a small igloo‑like snow structure in foggy conditions.
  • A group wearing green winter coats poses at a wooden shelter in Oulu city centre with signage for the 2026 European Capital of Culture.
  • People in long green winter coats pose around large snow‑covered OULU 2026 letters in a snowy outdoor setting.
  • A group in red and black winter gear stands beside two snowmobiles on a snowy landscape, with one person lying playfully in front.
  • A group wearing matching green coats stands around a large metal statue in a snowy town square lined with colourful old buildings.
  • A bathroom with dark tiled walls, where towels and clothes hang to dry from hooks, a rack, and a shower rail above a modern shower unit.
  • Light‑blue wooden huts with snow‑covered roofs stand in a row beside a snowy path on a foggy winter day.
  • Two people in long green coats and backpacks walk along a snowy pavement beside buildings and bare trees.
  • Event staff use long tools to break and move ice from the race lanes on a snowy lakeside course.
    (Luke Bihet)