AP PHOTOS: Runners trip, stumble and roll their way to victory in annual downhill cheese chase
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.
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