Latest news with #Kopke
South Wales Guardian
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Gloucestershire cheese rolling race won again by German YouTuber Tom Kopke
Brave competitors sprinted, tripped and tumbled down Cooper's Hill in Brockworth to try and win the 8lb double Gloucester. The recent dry weather had made the racetrack harder and slower but more dangerous for the competitors who were cheered on by thousands of spectators. The winner of the first men's downhill race was German Tom Kopke, 23, from Munich, who retained the title he won last year. 'It was crazy. This year was different,' Mr Kopke, who runs his own YouTube channel said. '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. 'All the people at the top said they were going to steal my title but this is mine. 'I worked for this. I risked my life for this. It's my cheese. Back to back.' Rebel cheese rollers have been staging their own unofficial event after health and safety fears caused the official competition to be cancelled in 2010. The cheese is chased 200 yards down the 1:2 gradient Cooper's Hill at Brockworth. After a year's hiatus, when police warned against the use of a real cheese, the imitation lightweight foam cheese was replaced with the genuine article. Long-time cheese-maker Rod Smart, who has produced cheese for the chase for more than 25 years, once again provided the wheels for this year's event. Four cheeses weighing about 3kg each and three smaller ones, weighing about 1.5kg, are used. The unusual event has been celebrated for centuries and is thought to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring. The official event was cancelled after more than 15,000 people turned up as spectators to watch the 2009 competition. Since then, it has been held unofficially with the police keeping a watchful eye. Local roads have been closed up to two-and-a-half miles around the slope. Some competitors travelled from across the world to take part in the series of madcap races, which attracted TV crews from around the world. The second men's race was won by Luke Preece, from Gloucester, who flew down the hill race dressed in a Superman costume. 'I am absolutely buzzed, amazing… the adrenaline,' he said afterwards. 'My dad did it, I can't believe it, it's amazing.' The women's race was won by Ava Sender Logan, 20, who was racing for the Refugee Community Kitchen, which supports displaced people in northern France and homeless people in London and Edinburgh. 'This is my first time,' the university student, from London, said. 'I thought it was such a tradition, and I will probably feel it tomorrow. 'I can't believe it, I can't believe it. 'It felt quite long coming down and then I hit my head. I'm down, that's what matters. I'm fine.' The final men's downhill race was won by Byron Smith, 33, from New Zealand, who had to settle for second place last year. 'It feels great, yeah,' he said. 'I did it last year and came second in my heat and I thought I could do it this year and I did. 'I ran as fast as I could and tried to get back up and this year I did.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
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.
San Francisco Chronicle
26-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
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.
Hamilton Spectator
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
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.
DW
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- DW
German rolls past rivals in madcap English cheese chase – DW – 05/26/2025
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.
