Canadian wins British cheese rolling contest despite being knocked unconscious (VIDEOS)

A legend-dairy young Canadian won the annual women’s cheese-rolling contest in Gloucester, England, on Monday, despite a troubled run.

In the contest, held yearly since at least 1826, competitors hurtle themselves down a steep hill in pursuit of a wheel of cheese.

The first to finish after a seven-pound wheel of Double Gloucester is declared the winner and gets to take home the cheese.

Delaney Irving, a 19-year-old from Nanaimo, British Columbia, was the first down the super-steep Cooper’s Hill after a seven-pound wheel of Double Gloucester.

Before crossing the finish line, Irving stumbled and was knocked unconscious.

“I decided yesterday I would do the race, and then I started running. I just remember hitting my head, and now I have the cheese,” she told Good Morning Britain.

‘I just remember hitting my head and now I have the cheese!’

Congratulations to Delaney Irving, who won the UK cheese rolling race despite being knocked unconscious! pic.twitter.com/i6kkcu6HAI

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) May 30, 2023

After starting the race, Delaney says the next thing she remembers is waking up in a medical tent.

Although she said she felt fine, she headed to the hospital as a precaution.

I got a top down view of Delaney Irving winning the #CheeseRolling event. Incase she doesn’t remember it from being knocked out 🫠
Showing us how fearless these Canadians are 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/Nnpcn0Kfrj

— David Dawson (@DavidDawson__) May 29, 2023

When asked if she would return to the race next year, Delaney replied, “I think I will if I see around to it, yes. Despite the injuries, I think it’s worth it.”

Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling, which occurs annually on the last Monday in May, has previously raised safety concerns after leaving contestants with broken bones and concussions.

Such injuries are unsurprising, considering few competitors remain on their feet while sprinting down the 180-metre hill.

Irving is not the first Canadian to take home the proverbial cheese-rolling crown.

In 2019, 21-year-old Mark Kit of Toronto won the final men’s downhill race. This year, 28-year-old Matt Crolla from Manchester, England, won the men’s race.

When asked how he had prepared for the event, Crolla said, “I don’t think you can train for it, can you? It’s just being an idiot.”

As predicted, chaos in race 1#cheeserolling pic.twitter.com/nsxtzqdrn4

— Ben Falconer (@benfalconer) May 29, 2023