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Chilling out: Austrian breaks record for standing in box of ice

Austrian sportsman Josef Koeberl stands still in an ice-filled glass cabin as he tries to set a World Record of staying in ice, in Melk, Austria, September 5, 2020. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

An Austrian on Saturday kept his cool and set a new world record for standing in a box full of ice cubes, lasting a teeth-chattering two hours, 30 minutes and 57 seconds.

Wearing only a pair of swimming trunks, 42-year-old Josef Koeberl was covered in ice up to his shoulders in a transparent box, his arms crossed against his chest. He beat the previous record for full-body contact with ice of two hours, eight minutes and 47 seconds, which he set himself last year.

"It's a great feeling, above all the sun - the warmth feels good," Koeberl told reporters after emerging from his frozen confinement into a balmy afternoon in the town of Melk on the Danube, where a small crowd watched him on the main square.

Austrian sportsman Josef Koeberl looks on as he stands still in an ice-filled glass cabin trying to set a World Record of staying in ice, in Melk, Austria, September 5, 2020. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

"I'll manage to put my socks on myself. The first thing that has to warm up are your feet," he said.

(Reporting by Leonhard Foeger, Writing by Francois Murphy, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Austrian sportsman Josef Koeberl stands still in an ice-filled glass cabin as he tries to set a World Record of staying in ice, in Melk, Austria, September 5, 2020. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
Austrian sportsman Josef Koeberl gestures after setting a new World Record of staying in ice, in Melk, Austria, September 5, 2020. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
Austrian sportsman Josef Koeberl waves after setting a new World Record of staying in ice, in Melk, Austria, September 5, 2020. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
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