A professional stuntman has set a new Guinness World Records title for the longest handstand performed while on fire, holding the inverted position for 47 seconds in Vienna.
Filip Kržišnik, a 35-year-old Slovenian gymnast and stunt coordinator, was set alight and lowered into a handstand on March 4, adjudicators confirmed, under the new category "longest duration full body burn handstand." Kržišnik is the first person to hold the title, according to UPI, which reported on the record this week after Guinness certified the attempt.
I didn't manage to find a better solution to get warm.
Filip Kržišnik, record holder
Full-body burns are among the more established categories in stunt-performance record-keeping, with professionals coating themselves in fire-resistant gel beneath their outer layer and typically capping attempts well under a minute for safety. Kržišnik said he would have been satisfied with a 45-second hold but is now aiming for a full minute on a future attempt.
The handstand adds a balance-and-strength element to a discipline more often measured simply by time spent ablaze. The long-standing record for duration of a full-body burn without supplementary oxygen, set by fellow Austria-based performer Josef Tödtling in 2013, stands at five minutes 41 seconds, though that record did not require the performer to be inverted.
Stunt performers who attempt full-body burns train for years before going on fire, rehearsing the choreography, breath control, and extraction routine with a safety crew standing by with fire blankets and extinguishers. Vienna, home to a concentration of circus and stunt schools, has become a frequent venue for European record attempts of this kind, with Guinness adjudicators now routinely travelling there to certify new stunt categories.
Guinness World Records has certified dozens of fire-related stunt categories over the decades, from fastest marathon run while ablaze to most consecutive backflips performed on fire, reflecting a durable niche audience for pyrotechnic daredevilry even as safety standards and fire-resistant materials have improved.
