
AP PHOTOS: Runners trip, stumble and roll their way to victory in annual downhill cheese chase
BROCKWORTH, England (AP) — For the second year running, a German YouTuber was the big cheese Monday at one of Britain's zaniest sports competitions.
Tom Kopke slipped, stumbled and tumbled his way to victory in the annual Cooper's Hill cheese rolling race.
'All the people at the top said they were going to steal my title but this is mine,' a shirtless Kopke declared as he clutched his prize, a 7-pound (3-kilogram) wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. 'I risked my life for this. It's my cheese. Back to back.'
Kopke, from Munich, won the first race of the day as men and women competed in several groups to chase a wheel of cheese down the 200-yard (180 meter) perilously steep pitch near Gloucester, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) west of London. The first to reach the bottom of the hill behind the speedy cheese wins the wheel.
The contest, traditionally held on the late-May public holiday, dates back at least two centuries, maybe longer. It's attended by thousands, who pack the woods flanking the hill or take cover behind fences at the bottom, as competitors from around the world risk serious injury in the hope of glory.
Gravity and acceleration combine to leave few runners on their feet, leading to epic wipeouts that can result in twisted ankles, broken collarbones and concussions.
Ava Sender Logan, from London, won the women's race after somersaulting and rolling at least a dozen times as she clutched her head.
'I will probably feel it tomorrow,' she said. 'It felt quite long coming down and then I hit my head. I'm down, that's what matters. I'm fine.'
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bo Melton's team-first approach has Packers believing he could thrive as a two-way player
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay's Bo Melton still considers himself a wide receiver first and foremost even as he spends part of the Packers' minicamp working out at cornerback. Melton also isn't about to make any comparisons to Jacksonville Jaguars rookie receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, who proved his credentials as a two-way player while winning the Heisman Trophy at Colorado last season. Advertisement But he's more than happy to test himself out in this role. 'It's just something that came up,' Melton said Wednesday. 'I want to give it a shot. I'm still a wide receiver, so I'm not really transitioning to cornerback, but if it works, it works.' The 26-year-old Melton started giving cornerback a chance as the Packers opened their minicamp Tuesday, one day after Green Bay released two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander. The idea of testing Melton out on defense actually came up long before that. Melton said it started shortly after the Packers signed Melton off the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad in December 2022. Melton hasn't played defense since high school — he says he worked out on defense early in his college career at Rutgers before getting assigned to receiver — but the Packers like the tackling ability he has shown on special teams. Advertisement 'Coach (Matt) LaFleur came up and asked me, 'Would you ever think about doing it?'' Melton said. 'I was like, 'If it's going to help the team, I might as well,' you know what I mean? That's my motto since I've been here. I'm a team-first guy.' The scenario still caught his teammates by surprise. Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine said he wasn't aware of the possibility until Melton joined the defensive players in Tuesday's practice. Melton insisted he told his teammates this might be happening, but nobody believed him. Melton's younger brother — Arizona Cardinals cornerback Max Melton — also was stunned. Bo Melton didn't tell his brother about it, so Max learned only after he went on social media Tuesday and saw evidence of Bo backpedaling like a cornerback. Advertisement 'I'm like, 'What the hell?' … It's just shocking. I'm still in shock,' Max Melton said from the Cardinals' minicamp. Max did say that he believes his brother can succeed as a cornerback. Bo agrees that this can work but realizes it will take time. That became apparent when a reporter brought up Hunter's name during Melton's time with reporters Wednesday. 'Travis is a different athlete, as everybody knows,' Melton said. 'He's a Heisman Trophy winner, won a lot of awards. I'm not going to compare myself to somebody that's done that. But what I will say is I like to run for days.' He also possesses a work ethic that has enabled him to stick on an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent. Advertisement Melton was on Green Bay's practice squad late in the 2023 season when the Packers activated him for a critical game against the Minnesota Vikings. He caught six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay's 33-10 victory. The Packers signed him to their active roster shortly afterward, and he caught a touchdown pass in a playoff loss at San Francisco. He played all 17 games for the Packers last season as a reserve receiver and special teams contributor. 'I just love everything about the guy, how he shows up every day ready to compete and give his best effort,' LaFleur said. The Packers are set with Keisean Nixon, Valentine and Nate Hobbs as their top three cornerbacks following Alexander's departure, but they lack proven players behind them. Any contribution Melton could provide would add depth while increasing his value. Advertisement 'It's just a feel thing right now,' Melton said. 'I still don't know if it's going to be true or not. Coach Matt, we'll figure that out. When I meet with Coach, we'll see what's going on. Right now I'm just going to go train for wideout. I feel like that's where I thrive at, that's where I make plays at. And defense, if it comes, it comes.' Valentine likes what he's seen so far. 'He's been embracing it,' Valentine said. 'I've been trying to show him the ropes a little bit. Give him some DB 101. But he looks natural to me.' Melton believes he can thrive in both spots. His younger brother is eager to find out, even as he gets ready for his own season about 1,800 miles away from Green Bay. Perhaps those cornerback skills run in the family. Advertisement 'I'm looking forward to seeing how it unfolds, to be honest,' Max Melton said. 'I'm just excited.' ___ AP Sports Writer David Brandt in Tempe, Arizona, contributed to this report. ___ AP NFL:


San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Healthier Panthers are nearing full strength in the Stanley Cup Final against the Oilers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The bumps and bruises and worse started to pile up midway through the Florida Panthers' third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Matthew Tkachuk only returned for the playoff opener after sitting out the final two months of the regular season with the injury he suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and seems to still be gutting through it. Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola each missed time during the Eastern Conference final, and A.J. Greer's injury he tried playing through eventually sidelined him. 'It's very hard to win a Cup with unhealthy bodies,' Greer said. The Panthers found that out the hard way two years ago when they were the skating wounded. Tkachuk had a broken sternum, Aaron Ekblad had a broken foot, two shoulder dislocations and a torn oblique muscle, Radko Gudas had a high ankle sprain and they lost to Vegas in five games in the final. While the Edmonton Oilers looked to be in better shape going into this series with the notable exception of injured forward Zach Hyman, Florida has gotten healthier. Coach Paul Maurice said Reinhart is 'back to full health,' Tkachuk, Mikkola and Greer are making a difference and the defending champions are two wins away from hoisting the Cup for a second year in a row. 'It's always good to have a full team that's healthy," fourth-liner Tomas Nosek said after practice Wednesday. "It's been good so far, and hopefully it stays that way.' The Panthers will have their ideal lineup for Game 4 on Thursday night in Sunrise after that same group waxed Edmonton 6-1 earlier this week to take a 2-1 lead in the final. Other than do-it-all defenseman Seth Jones, no one played more than 23 minutes in Game 3. That balance, after so much overtime hockey early in what looked to be an evenly matched series, combined with an extra day between games, makes them rested and ready. 'We've been, I think, great the whole playoffs," center Anton Lundell said. 'It doesn't really matter when we play. It's always fun to play, so we don't really care. But obviously now we have had a couple days off, so it's fun to get the energy back and prepare." Reinhart scoring Monday night was his first goal since being out for two games in the Eastern Conference final, ending a drought that dated to the second round against Toronto. He had six shots in Game 2 and has been steadily progressing. 'I'm not worried about him,' Maurice said. 'I think his game is getting stronger — quite a bit stronger.' So is Tkachuk's, even if it's clear the tough winger is not moving as well as he does when 100%. But he had an assist and was noticeably better in Game 3, which Maurice called Tkachuk's best of the playoffs. 'It took him a while to build out,' Maurice said. 'The speed of the Carolina series was probably a really, really good thing. Some of these injuries I'm sure they're dealing with it, you can't condition them and rehab them at the same time. They need some time. And he was out for such a very long time that I would say the last month, but certainly the last three weeks, he's back to form now.' That spells trouble for the Oilers, playing without Hyman and with top-line forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins dealing with an undisclosed injury that has him relegated him to game-time-decision uncertainty. Their longest-tenured player not being 100% is a major blow after Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid and Hyman were such an effective trio getting to this point. Coach Kris Knoblauch foreshadowed a lineup change that may or may not be injury related. Either way, his team's depth is being tested. The same has been the case for the Panthers, who have used 22 skaters in the playoffs following 30 during the season. They've grown accustomed to shuffling players in and out and chugging along like some of the NHL's best teams have to do. 'With our depth this year, even when guys are injured or guys are out of the lineup, there's just so much depth on our team that guys can fill in seamlessly and it doesn't change our lineup that much,' Bennett said. "That's definitely a huge factor for us.' ___


San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Knicks denied permission to interview Kidd, Udoka and Finch in coaching search, AP sources say
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks were denied permission to speak with coaches Jason Kidd of Dallas, Ime Udoka of Houston and Chris Finch of Minnesota in a slow start to find Tom Thibodeau's replacement. All three coaches are under contract and their organizations declined to make them available for interviews with the Knicks, two people with knowledge of the details said Thursday. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the interview process was to remain private. The Knicks fired Thibodeau on June 3, despite reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. They reached the playoffs four times in Thibodeau's five seasons and had won at least 50 games in each of the final two. They appear to be trying to find out if any coaches they like who currently have jobs might be added to their list along with the ones who are currently available. The Mavericks confirmed Thursday that a request was submitted and denied. ESPN first reported on all three decisions. Knicks president Leon Rose interviewed Kidd and Udoka in 2020 before hiring Thibodeau. Both also played for the Knicks, with Kidd ending his Hall of Fame career on the team that reached the 2013 playoffs — which was the Knicks' last appearance before Thibodeau's arrival. Kidd led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, Finch has guided the Timberwolves to back-to-back trips to the West finals and Udoka took a young Rockets team to the No. 2 seed in the West this season, so none of the organizations is interested in searching for a new coach. Thibodeau thanked the organization, players, coaches and fans in a New York Times ad on Wednesday, saying the experience with the Knicks was 'something I will never forget.' ___ AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Indianapolis contributed to this report. ___