Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2026: Britain Loses Its Own Craziest Tradition to International Competitors

Out of the many fine British traditions that have inexplicably failed to take off outside of the country, cheese-rolling stands tall and proud – or possibly lands flat and painfully depending on whether you are a competitor or simply a spectator. The 2026 cheese-rolling championship has just taken place in the county of Gloucestershire (Cooper's Hill to be exact) and – as an event like this warrants – naturally made that evenings national 10 o’clock news. Well it would, wouldn’t it? Yet chasing a large wheel of cheese down a very steep hill isn’t just for Brits – apparently. This year, both male and female winners were from abroad (I believe they are referred to as “Johnny Foreigners” in some drinking establishements in some parts of the country by some people). The men’s race was won by Tom Kopke from Germany, whose sanity is no longer in any doubt because he’s won it three times altogether (including this year). After all, you can’t be mad if you have won something so often… can…