Carlisle man wins gold at World Games

Yahoo

20 hours ago

A MAN from Carlisle has won gold in the World Games, a multi-sport event for sports and disciplines that are not in the programme of the Olympic Games.
The games take place every four years, like the Olympics, and have been held in Chengdu, China, this year.
Joe Birch, a joiner from Carlisle, won a gold medal at the games in Tug of War, as Team GB beat the Switzerland team in the final.
Joe said: "I'm so emotional, when you put so much sacrifice, so much discipline and so much training into something, and then you feel the elation knowing it paid off, you can't describe it.
"It's possibly not even sunk in yet."
Many sports from the World Games have been integrated into the Olympics, as the Olympic committee watches the evet closely.
The gold medal that Joe received has a pendant within it that can be made into a necklace, to be passed onto the younger generations to inspire future athletes in a specific sport.
He said: "That set me off a bit, I have two wonderful young kids , and I hope I can inspire them."
The World Games are seen as the pinnacle of the Tug of war sport, and the qualification process is difficult.
Joe Birch celebrating the win (Image: Joe Birch) Joe said: "You have to win at the English National Championships, and then make sure you finish in the top six of the World Championships.
"To get to the games was even an achievement in itself, but to get to that level is years and years of work, it doesn't just happen overnight."
Joe has been participating in the sport for over 15 years, he began while he was in his Young Farmers club.
Joe said: "90 per cent of 'pullers' come through Young Farmers, so we are very lucky in Cumbria to have such a fantastic Young Farmers structure."
Joe works for Kirkaldy and Roe, a building and construction company in Carlisle, who support the gold medal winner by allowing early finishes and days off to travel to competitions and training.