German YouTuber retains cheese roll champion title
Chloe HarcombeWest of England
Reuters
A German YouTuber has retained his title as a Gloucestershire cheese rolling champion for the third year in a row.
Tom Kopke, known online as Tooleko, beat local competitor and Guinness World Record holder Chris Anderson in the first race of the annual event on Cooper's Hill in Brockworth.
Thousands of people gathered in the baking heat to watch competitors from all over the world chase a 7lb (3kg) wheel of Double Gloucester cheese - which can reach speeds of up to 70mph - down the 1:2 gradient slope.
"It's everyone's race and you have just got to give your best, and the best man wins," Kopke said.
There were seven races in total, with each winner taking home a wheel of cheese.
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The heavy spring rain had softened the hill, but recent hot weather dried it out and made conditions firmer and more dangerous for competitors.
Forecasters said it could be the hottest spring bank holiday on record with temperatures reaching almost 30C in Brockworth.
Jem Wakeman, the master of ceremonies, said it was the "hottest" event he had ever done.
Kopke, who came from Munich to retain his title in the men's downhill race, said the conditions were "optimal" this year.
"This was I think my best year ever and I tried to stay on my feet for as long as possible.
"I think I got a good recovery on the middle of the hill and then sprinted the rest," he said.
Kopke beat 23-time champion Anderson close to the finish line.
"The entire race I saw Chris in front of me and I had to get him," Kopke said.
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Before the races began, Anderson was named a Guinness World Record holder for winning the most races between 2002 and 2022.
He came out of retirement to compete against Kopke, but finished second.
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The Anderson family celebrated victories elsewhere, with Chris' son William and nephew Xander winning in the children's uphill races.
William, 11, said the race was "good and tiring", but that he hoped to follow in his father's footsteps and compete in the men's downhill race one day.
His dad says having a winner in the family makes up for him missing out on taking first place in the men's first downhill race earlier.
Xander, 16, said he "couldn't feel" his legs during the race.
"I was just pushing for it. I've come second three times in a row," he said.
The other winners included Niels, a football fan from the Netherlands, Alix Heugas from France, Jamie from Stroud and two-time champion Ariel Dempsey from Michigan in the United States.
The event has been held unofficially after health and safety fears caused the official competition to be cancelled in 2010.
The tradition has been celebrated for centuries and is believed to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring.
Nowadays, the event is classed as an extreme sport and dubbed one of the UK's toughest downhill races.