One of Britain’s least-known yet most dangerous sporting events — which somehow manages to combine extreme physical pain and dairy produce — took place on Monday with a lower-than-usual toll of injuries.
Only three people broke bones during the annual cheese-rolling race at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, central England, where competitors pelt recklessly down a steep slope in pursuit of a large, round cheese.
A further 18 people were treated by medical staff for lesser injuries such as cuts and bruises, but the bloodshed was less than last year when 40 were injured.
In four separate races, competitors run — and then often roll or somersault — headlong down the one-in-two gradient hill in pursuit of a 3,2kg double Gloucester cheese.
Although the majority of participants end up bruised, bleeding or both, the rewards are minimal — the winner receives a rather dented cheese, while the runner-up gets £5 and third place secures a princely £3.
Chris Anderson, a 17-year-old window-fitter, claimed first prize in one of the races in front of a 4 000-strong crowd, but at the cost of a badly sprained ankle.
“The pain was worth it; I went over on my ankle right at the top of the hill,” Anderson said as he was taken away on a stretcher with the cheese clasped to his chest.
“This cheese is going straight in a cupboard when I get home. It’s definitely not for eating.”
Modern-day winners can count themselves lucky. From 1941 to 1954, when Britain faced food rationing during and after World War II, competitors raced for a wooden cheese containing just a piece of the real stuff inserted into a small hole. — AFP