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Man sets world record for swimming while bound in a sack

The Bulgarian swimmer already had one entry in the Guinness Book of Records in 2013.

OHRID, Macedonia: Swimming instructor, lifeguard and adventurer Yane Petkov - Bulgaria’s answer to Houdini and Michael Phelps combined - reclaimed on Tuesday the Guinness world record for swimming along with his hands and feet tied while fully wrapped inside a sack.

Petkov, 64, swam 3,380 meters in Macedonia’s Lake Ohrid, beating the record of Indian fisherman Gopal Kharvi, who in 2013 swam 3,071 meters in the Indian Ocean - though not in a sack.

The Bulgarian swimmer already had one entry in the Guinness Book of Records in 2013 with 2,030 meters, but he only held it for three months until he was overtaken by Kharvi.

Before his latest attempt, Petkov said he had planned to swim 3.5 kilometers, and Guinness observers were present for his swim, organized by the Red Cross and the waters sports clubs of Ohrid and Petric.

Petkov took around three hours to worm his way along through the water, face-up and feet first, before he emerged on the shore in the ancient town of Ohrid, a popular holiday resort.

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