Stuntman set on fire while doing a handstand holds position for record-breaking time

A stunt coordinator joked he set himself on fire to break a world record because it was a cold day.

“I didn’t manage to find a better solution to get warm,” Filip Kržišnik (Slovenia) quipped about setting the title for longest duration full body burn handstand.

He held his legs above his head whilst engulfed in flames for an impressive 47 seconds when he took on the challenge in Vienna, Austria, on 4 March.

The 35-year-old gymnast, who works in the movie industry, says he got into fire stunts quite spontaneously.

For this record, he worked alongside friend and fellow stuntman and record holder Josef Tödtling, who holds titles including longest duration full body burn without oxygen (5 min 41 sec) and fastest 200 m cycle during a full body burn (49.55 sec).

When asked how dangerous the stunt he performed was, Filip said: “If you prepare, train and rehearse it right, it shouldn’t be dangerous at all means.”

As a gymnast, he’s performed a handstand around 10,000 times, he estimates. But he probably hasn’t been on fire for many of them.

While it should really go without saying, it’s important to point out that this kind of stunt should absolutely only be attempted by trained professionals and that Filip had many people standing by with fire extinguishers in hand, ready to step in if anything went wrong.

Read about more epic stunts in our Hobbies and Skills section.

Filip appeared calm and collected throughout his attempt though, and when he couldn’t hold the handstand any longer, he simply lay down on the ground so the flames could be doused.

He trained for his record by performing weighted timed handstands, controlled breathing and of course, performing full body burns.

He wasn’t nervous at all before going into it, just anxious about setting a good time. As the first person to ever break this record, he’s set the standard for anyone else hoping to attempt it in future.

Filip said: “I was happy with 45 seconds, but I would be even more fulfilled with 60 seconds.”

And when asked if he’d sustained any injuries, he admitted: “Only to my pride.”

Filip is not done there and says he has more “crazy ideas” for world records.