Meet, Yane Petkov: The 64-year-old Bulgarian man who set a world record for swimming in a sack

Yane Petkov swam 3,380 meters with his hands and feet tied while fully wrapped inside a sack.

Someone has a Russia hangover, from the FIFA world cup?
Er… no… this is from Bulgaria, actually.

Aren’t we talking about the 1962 Russian sci-fi movie set in Argentina?
Not at all! And this is a real man.


A rarity these days, no?
Am ignoring the sarcasm. See this Bulgarian, Yane Petkov, is 64, and is known as the Amphibian Man over there. He is a swimming trainer and has just broken a swimming record.

A swimming record at 64? That sounds more like Superman.
No, this record is one of those peculiar ones from the Guinness World Records. He swam the longest distance while in handcuffs and leg irons. Plus, he stayed inside a sack the entire time.

Now that is something. How far did he go like that?
He swam 3,380 metres.

That’s quite a bit. But why such a strange act?
Not strange. Guess what, this is the second time Petkov has created the record. He has a competitor called Gopal Kharvi from India. He has held the record since 2013. In December that year, Kharvi swam 3,071 metres while in handcuffs and leg irons. He had broken Petkov’s earlier record.

Kharvi did this in India?
Of course. He swam in the sea, from St Mary’s Island to Malpe, near Udupi. Petkov swam in Lake Ohrid in Macedonia.

Will Kharvi try again?
He might. But it did cost him Rs 12 lakh in 2013.

Well if not him, someone else should get the record back to India. You have a fancy for hand cuffs, don’t you?

Text: Suman Layak