Featured Image Credit: Cameron Smith / Stringer via Getty
There are some truly dangerous events being held around the world, with the likes of the World Sauna Championships, Dinka Fat Man Contest, and the World BASE Race seeing unsuspecting members of the public put their lives in their hands.
While it might not seem as dangerous as swimming with sharks, the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is known for its high-adrenaline thrills and spills. Based in Gloucester, England, the tradition is thought to have started long before its first recorded mention in 1826. The basic premise is chasing an 8lb wheel of double Gloucester down a steep hill with a 50% gradient. In case you didn't know, that's pretty darn steep.
The winner gets to keep the wheel and is dubbed the cheese champion of the world. After all, this is a world-famous event with winners from Australia to Japan, Egypt to the USA. In 2025, the winner of the first race was Munich-born YouTuber Tom Kopke, who retained his title for the second year running.
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More impressively, the winner of the second race was Luke Preece, who's the son of Rob Preece, four-time winner of the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake (in 1992, twice in 1993, and in 1994).
As reported by The Guardian, Kopke explained what it was like to win again and how this year's conditions made it so he was taking his life in his hands. The recent dry weather had made the ground much harder than usual, and with previous injuries including broken bones, sprains, and even one woman winning the race while she was unconscious, it’s not an event to be taken lightly.
Discussing what it's like to win, Kopke told the outlet: It was crazy. This year was different. Last year the hill was muddy and this year it was dry and dangerous and people got injured."
Saying he shut off his brain and 'went for it', Kopke added: "All the people at the top said they were going to steal my title but this is mine. I worked for this. I risked my life for this. It’s my cheese. Back to back.”
In terms of the women's winner, that title goes to 20-year-old Ava Sender Logan, racing for the Refugee Community Kitchen. Talking about her win, Ava emphasized the dangers as she said: "This is my first time. I thought it was such a tradition, and I will probably feel it tomorrow.
"I can’t believe it. It felt quite long coming down and then I hit my head. I’m down, that’s what matters. I’m fine."
Alongside Preece winning in a Superman costume, the final race was won by New Zealand's Byron Smith. The 33-year-old came second in 2024, adding: "It feels great I did it last year and came second in my heat and I thought I could do it this year and I did."
2025 might've seen Kopke feel like he was risking his life to win, but this is far from the first time the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake has caused safety concerns. The 'official' competition was cancelled after 15,000 people turned up in 2009, meaning it's been unofficially staged ever since.
