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For the third consecutive year, German YouTuber Tom Kopke has successfully defended his title as the Gloucestershire cheese rolling champion. Known online as Tooleko, Kopke once again outpaced his main rival, local competitor and Guinness World Record holder Chris Anderson, during the first race of the much-anticipated annual event at Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth.
This centuries-old tradition draws thousands of spectators who brave the baking spring heat to watch participants from around the globe chase a 7lb (3kg) wheel of Double Gloucester cheese hurtling downhill at speeds up to 70mph along the steep 1:2 gradient slope. Despite early spring rains softening the hill, recent hot weather had dried and hardened the surface, creating more challenging and potentially hazardous conditions. Forecasters predicted the warmest spring bank holiday on record, with temperatures nearing 30°C in Brockworth, prompting the event’s master of ceremonies, Jem Wakeman, to declare it the hottest event he had ever hosted.
Kopke, who traveled from Munich to compete, described the conditions as “optimal” and reflected on his performance, stating, “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.” The contest was fiercely close as Kopke closed in on Anderson right near the finish line, recalling, “The entire race I saw Chris in front of me and I had to get him.” Despite Anderson’s attempt to reclaim his dominance, Kopke emerged victorious among seven total races, each awarding winners with a wheel of cheese.
Chris Anderson, who holds the Guinness World Record for most wins from 2002 to 2022, made a comeback from retirement to challenge Kopke but ultimately finished second. Celebrations for the Anderson family extended across other categories, as Chris’s son William and nephew Xander triumphed in the children’s uphill races. William, aged 11, described his race as “good and tiring,” expressing ambitions to someday compete in the men’s downhill contest like his father. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Xander admitted, “I couldn’t feel my legs during the race. I was just pushing for it. I’ve come second three times in a row.”
Other race winners included Niels from the Netherlands, French competitor Alix Heugas, Jamie from Stroud, and Ariel Dempsey from Michigan, USA, who took the women’s downhill race title for the second consecutive year. The cheese rolling event, which has been held unofficially since the official contest was canceled in 2010 due to health and safety concerns, remains a historic celebration rooted in ancient springtime customs. Today, it is recognized as one of the UK’s most extreme and challenging downhill sporting events
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