German rolls past rivals in madcap English cheese chase – DW – 05/26/2025

DW

26-05-2025

A Munich man has tasted victory for a second time in one of England's quirkiest competitive pastimes. Tom Kopke says he risked everything to emerge as champion in the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling race.
It was hard cheese for local competitors in one of England's most curious sporting traditions, as Bavarian Tom Kopke emerged victorious for the second year running.
The unofficial Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake in the English county of Gloucestershire drew thousands of spectators and scores of competitors to chase a speeding wheel of dairy product down a steep grassy slope.
'I worked for this — It's my cheese'
Dry weather made the 50 gradient incline more treacherous than usual, with racers risking bumps bruises — and even worse — to catch up with the coveted 3.6-kilogram (8-pound) Double Gloucester cheese.
And of the rivals who tumbled and rolled headlong down the hill to claim the prestigious first-race prize, 23-year-old Kopke was first across the finish line. His prize? The cheese itself.
"It was crazy. This year was different," adding: "Last year the hill was muddy and this year it was dry and dangerous and people got injured. I shut off my brain and went for it."
Munich resident Kopke's love of the cheese-rolling contest hasn't soured since his last year's event, with the YouTuber determined to hang on to his dairy dash crown.
"All the people at the top said they were going to steal my title but this is mine," he said. "I worked for this. I risked my life for this. It's my cheese. Back to back."
Several races are run at each annual cheese-rolling, but the first men's race is the most prestigious, garnering the most media attention, featuring seasoned competitors and past champions.
The women's race was won by 20-year-old Ava Sender Logan who was running in support of the Refugee Community Kitchen — a group that helps displaced people in northern France and homeless communities in London and Edinburgh.
Is cheese rolling dangerous?
While there are other cheese-rolling traditions in Britain, the event at Cooper's Hill is the most famous and frenetic.
The event is no picnic, with 23-time champion Chris Anderson having suffered torn calf muscles, sprained ankles and bruised kidneys.
Though the official version was scrapped in 2010 over safety concerns, fans have kept the tradition alive with a rebel race — now a chaotic but beloved annual fixture. The cheese rolls 200 yards downhill, and competitors do their best to keep up.
The races, which date back centuries and likely began as a springtime ritual, have grown into a global curiosity.
After 15,000 turned up in 2009, organizers pulled the plug — but the locals and thrill-seekers kept it rolling, with police now observing rather than intervening.