CHEESE ROLLING CONTEST~ The United Kingdom will once again play host to the most extreme sporting events in the world. On Monday, hundreds of people gathered near Gloucester in southwest England to see dozens of daredevil racers chase a 7-pound (3 kilogram) wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down the nearly vertical Cooper’s Hill. The hill is located close to Gloucester.
The prize will be awarded to the first competitor who crosses the finish line behind the cheese as it rolls quickly down the track. At least since 1826, the cheese-rolling race has been staged at Cooper’s Hill, which is approximately 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London. However, it is thought that the sport of cheese-rolling goes back considerably further in time than that.
The rough-and-tumble competition frequently raises concerns regarding participant safety. Only a small percentage of participants are able to make it down the 200-yard (180 meter) slope without falling, and this year a number of racers had to be assisted off the course as they hobbled. Despite being knocked unconscious for a short period of time during the competition, Canadian competitor Delaney Irving, 19, emerged victorious in the women’s race.
Irving, a resident of Nanaimo in the Canadian province of British Columbia, remarked, “I just remember hitting my head, and now I have the cheese.” The first of a number of competitions open to men was won by Matt Crolla, who is 28 years old and hails from Manchester in the northwest of England. When reporters asked him how he had prepared for the event, he responded by saying, “I don’t suppose you can train for it, can you? It’s nothing more than acting like a complete moron.
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