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Longest
Time Breath Held Voluntarily-record set by Tom Sietas
[Aug
10] NEW YORK--A German free diver has plunged himself into a plexi-glass
tank full of water on live television and held his breath for more
than 15 minutes — smashing his own Guinness World Record.
Tom Sietas’s new record for ‘Longest Time Breath Held
Voluntarily’ — which stands at 15:02 — beat his previous time by
37 seconds.
Photo: Out of breath ... Tom Sietas, 30, shows his delight
as he breaks his own Guinness World Record. Photo: AP
He said he quickly knew he would beat his
own world record. "After the first two minutes I felt quite confident,"
Sky News reported. After the stunt he said: "I'm hungry...I think
I'm going to McDonalds."
Sietas
also holds the world record, at 9 minutes and 8 seconds, for holding
his breath underwater without inhaling oxygen first.
Sietas has some natural advantages, such as lungs
that are 20 per cent larger than average for his size, said Dr.
Marc Spero, a lung expert affiliated with the Divers Alert Network.
He also manages not to move in a situation that
would have most people splashing and gasping for, well, air. A corpse-like
stillness is central to his success, as it decreases his need for
oxygen, Spero said. Underwater, Sietas clears his mind. "Let's say
I had an argument with my girlfriend, I would get upset, and my
heart rate would go up. I really don't think about anything," Sietas
said.
Today’s effort is just one in a week-long cavalcade
of record-breaking feats he has performed on American talk show
Live with Regis and Kelly.
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