Video: Dutch man wins British cheese rolling race for the first time
For the first time ever, a Dutchman has won the annual cheese rolling championship in Gloucester, England. Niels Wennemars, 21, managed to leave international opponents and local heroes in his dust while chasing a rolling cheese down the steep Cooper’s Hill. The wheel of Double Gloucester is going home with him as his prize. “Bringing the cheese back to where it belongs,” Wennemars said on Instagram.
The event is a local tradition with the first edition dating back to 1836. In recent years, the event has become increasingly popular, and multiple races have been held in the men’s category. This year, Wennemars is one of the winners. Tom Kopke from Germany was another.
Wennemars told NOS that he immediately thought about going to Gloucester when he saw images of recent races on his social media feeds. “We are the land of cheese after all. But no Dutchman had ever tried it before. I thought: I’m going to do this, and I’m going for the win.”
The Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling is not an officially organized event and is handled mostly by volunteers, from those giving the start signal and releasing the cheese to the paramedics waiting at the bottom of the hill. And they are needed. Most people fall quickly onto the steep descent, and every year, people get injured.
But the young Dutchman, brother of speed skater Joep Wennemars and son of former speed skater Erben Wennemars, is a passionate athlete and enjoys an extreme challenge, he told the broadcaster. “Of course it was stressful, but I was also really looking forward to it,” he said. “I am fit and have good motor skills.” And he went in with a plan.
“I thought carefully beforehand about how I would do it. Everyone starts fast, but then halfway down the hill, they can no longer keep up with their upper body using their legs. If you maintain a certain pace over the entire hill, you stay upright as long as possible.” His plan worked out for him.
He was surprised by how much attention he got after winning, not only from the international media waiting at the bottom of the hill, but also from locals. “I am a god here!” he gleefully shouted at NOS over the phone. “I have, without exaggeration, already had my picture taken with people 200 times. And when I walk around here with this cheese, I get free drinks everywhere.”
