An Australian man has chased a speeding wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down a muddy hill to claim victory in a world-famous competition.
Dylan Twiss, from Perth, emerged victorious in the annual cheese-rolling competition at Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, England.
The 3-kilogram Double Gloucester cheese was estimated to have been travelling at up to 113 kilometres per hour on Monday when competitors tumbled down the hill.
Diving down the 183-metre grassy slope as quickly as possible and avoiding getting tangled in limbs is the aim of the game.
The first person to make it to the bottom wins the cheese.
Mr Twiss narrowly managed to beat a British man dressed as a gorilla in the second men’s race.
But the victory wasn’t without injury as he nursed a “gash” on his leg after claiming the title.
Speaking after the adrenaline-fuelled event, Mr Twiss said he was trying to stay on his feet, but he couldn’t stop rolling.
“I just had to go with it,” he told the BBC.
“Every time I found my feet were on the ground I took another couple of steps.”
Mr Twiss had been confident he could win the tasty prize ever since hearing about the event.
And while the intense race wasn’t his only reason for visiting the UK, it was “high up there in the priorities”.
“I’m slightly surprised that I did [win] but I’m also rather pleased,” he added.
And in a personal message to his cynical mates back home, he said: “Fellas, I told you I’d win it, so there we go.”
Photographs from the event show Mr Twiss celebrating by holding the Double Gloucester cheese above his head in victory.
The bizarre event attracts competitors from around the globe and is so popular it is live streamed on the BBC, with around 5,000 people attending in person to watch, according to The Guardian.
Those who are lucky enough to claim victory at the finish line are interviewed on camera and take part in a photo shoot.
The event dates back as far as the 1800s, but The Guardian reported that it has been declared unsafe by advisory groups due to the risky nature of tumbling down a hill at speed.
Popular American YouTuber and rapper IShowSpeed injured his leg during the first men’s race and had to attend hospital for treatment but vowed to return again.
Gloucestershire Police warned competitors to think of the risk they were taking.
Assistant Chief Constable Arman Mathieson said: “We are advising those who intend to attend or participate in the cheese rolling to consider the risk they might be putting themselves at.”
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