A winner of one of Britain's most bizarre traditions had a hilarious three-word statement after emerging victorious today.
Dozens of people took part in the cheese rolling event as they raced down Cooper’s Hill in Gloucester. Competitors chase a 4kg Double Gloucester - which can reach speeds of 70mph - down the steep hill. Many competitors lose their footing and end up falling most of the way in front of thousands of watching spectators.
Today, races are held for both adults and children. The 2024 men’s champion was Tom Kopke who travelled from Munich, Germany, for the high-octane chase down the hill. Moments after grabbing the cheese, he told the BBC: “England is mad.”
People taking part in one of today's races (PA)This year’s women’s champion was Abby Lampe from the United States who took the title for a second time after a win in 2022. Others who took part in the event was YouTuber IShowSpeed, known as Darren Watkins.
One person said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Never been more proud of this country than the fact we celebrate people falling down a huge hill chasing a roll of cheese. Watching kids running and crawling up the hill is just the best.”
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This year's hill was especially slippery and muddy after recent rain. Members of a local rugby club lined up at the bottom to catch the tumbling competitors.
Participants take part in the annual cheese rolling at Cooper's Hill in Brockworth (PA)
Abby Lampe, winner of the women's race (PA)Winners of the three men's races included local man Josh Shepherd as well as competitors from Germany and Australia. Abby Lampe from North Carolina won the women's race with a lighting-fast roll that left the rest of the field far behind.
"You just have to roll," said Lampe, a graduate of NC State who also won in 2022. "There's a little bit of pain, but it's just going to be temporary."
Tom Kopke, from Munich, winner of the first race (PA)Dozens of children and adults also competed in safer and slower, but no less gruelling, uphill versions of the race, which are traditionally held on a late-May national holiday.
Today’s festivities came after complaints were made about the strain placed on local health services by those injured in the cheese-based fun. Tewkesbury Borough Safety Advisory Group were unhappy about the event.
A representative of the group, made up of multiple agencies, including the emergency services, said it made “numerous attempts” to engage with organisers. Members say they were concerned about how emergency services would be able to respond if there was a major incident after ambulances struggled to access the site in 2023.
Participants take part in the annual cheese rolling at Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire (PA)The winner of last year's women's race was knocked unconscious at the finish line. She only discovered she'd won when she woke up in a medical tent.
Safety Advisory Group Assistant Chief Constable Arman Mathieson from Gloucestershire Police said the event is a 'unique tradition and we have no desire to stop it. He added: “Those intending to go should consider the risk they might be putting themselves at.”
Previous winner Chris Anderson, who first competed in 2004 at the age of 17 where he came second before winning a year later, said of the event: “It's all over so quickly, the first time I won I broke my ankle and had to get stretchered away.
"I'm from the local village, so it's good to keep the record in the village. For the locals, it's a massive event for us."
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