Sword swallower sets world record of 18 blades

February 9, 2010 10:37 AM

An Australian sword swallower has set a new world record after swallowing 18 blades at the same time.

Chayne Hultgren, 31, who performs under the name Space Cowboy, beat his own record of 17 swords in the event at Byron Bay in New South Wales.

After warming up, he swallowed all 18 of the 72cm swords at the same time, while watched by an adjudicator from Guinness World Records.

He then slowly pulled them back out, to cheers from the assembled crowd who were just glad not to have seen something gory.

We know he's okay because he took a drink of water after the event and it didn't spray out from his chest cartoon-style.

"This is amazing. I’ve been preparing for the past few months and to be able to do this in front of such a large, live crowd, here in Australia, is something special," said Hultgren after completing his feat.

The stunt was carried out to mark International Sword Swallowing Day and sponsored by Buscopan.