A street performer from Australia has set a Guinness World Record by swallowing 18 swords at one time.

Chayne Hultgren, also known as “The Space Cowboy,” swallowed the swords, each just over 28 inches long, in Sydney this morning (February 8).

“It’s amazing,” he says. “I’ve been preparing for this since I was 16.”

The 31-year-old calls the feat “an educated risk” that he is able to do by using hoses to stretch his throat.

“I don’t just straight away grab 18 blades and shove them down my throat,” he says. “You’ve got to practice a lot and build up to it.”