Thousands of people attended the world-famous Gloucestershire cheese-rolling contest on Monday.
Competitors sprinted, tripped, and tumbled down the steep Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, chasing after a 7lb double Gloucester cheese wheel to win the cheese-rolling race.
A German YouTuber Tom Kopke, 24, took first place for the third consecutive year, beating a local Guinness World Record holder Chris Anderson to the crown.
“This year’s cheese will taste the sweetest of all the cheeses I have won,” Mr Kokpe said.
His competitor Mr Anderson had come out of retirement to challenge the German social media star. He has won the competition 23 times between 2005 and 2022.
The contest saw around two dozen cheese-chasers throw themselves down the 1:2 gradient hill, which had become firmer and more dangerous in the recent bout of hot weather.
Forecasters said the temperature hit almost 30C in Brockworth - apparently one of the hottest cheese-rolling temperatures to date.
But Mr Kopke thought otherwise. He said: “The hill was better than last year as the hill was really dry, but this year it was the optimal conditions – not too dry and a bit soft so the falls got cushioned.”
Mr Anderson’s 11-year-old son Will won the younger race, while cousin Xander Anderson, 16, won the teenager’s race.
The second men’s downhill race was won by Niels Wennemars from the Netherlands. The 21-year-old’s family also have sporting backgrounds, with his father and brother both holding world champion speed skating titles.
Alixa Heugas, 27, from the Basque region, took first prize for the women’s downhill race.
She said: “Do not be afraid, you are going to get hit but it is okay, you will not break a bone – just go for it.
“I have wanted to do it for years and when I knew I was coming to live in England for three months I was definitely signing up for this.”
The cheeses for the contest are produced by local cheesemonger Rod Smart, who has been providing the wheels for more than 25 years.
The event has been celebrated for centuries, believed to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate spring, and attracts people from around the world to watch.
