Nanaimo woman, 19, wins U.K. cheese wheel race while unconscious
A young B.C. woman has quite the story to tell, or at least the parts she can remember, after winning a cheese wheel race in England, even after being knocked unconscious.
Nineteen-year-old Delaney Irving, from Nanaimo, was in Gloucestershire, England, on Monday wrapping up a six-week trip in Europe with her friend.
She was in the region to watch the annual Coopers Hill Cheese Rolling race, before deciding to join in the extreme race with her friend just one day before it was set to begin.
"We didn't really prepare for it at all," Irving told CTV News on Tuesday.
"All we did to prepare was, my friend and I took turns jumping on our hotel bed and doing a roll as best as we could."
Participants in the race are tasked with chasing a seven-pound wheel of double Gloucester cheese down an extremely steep hill.
The race itself has sometimes been the target of controversy due to safety concerns.
"Videos don't really show how steep it is," said Irving.
"When you're standing at the top, you have to get right to the edge to actually see the hill," she said. "If you're a few steps back you can't actually see the hill, that's how steep it is."
Participants compete in the women's downhill race during the Cheese Rolling contest at Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, Monday May 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)Video shows the moments that Irving, after losing her footing, tumbles down the hill. She's' the first one to cross the finish line, though she's limp as a ragdoll after hitting her head on the ground and being knocked unconscious part way down the hill.
"I don't remember much of the start of the race to be honest," she said. "Right away I started falling and so I decided to roll, and I think I rolled most of the way down."
"After that I was knocked unconscious," said Iriving. "I was out of it when I went past the finish line. I didn't come to for about 10 minutes."
The next thing the teen remembers is waking up in a medical tent with "cheese on my lap."
Irving's mother, Krista Endrizzi, says she knew her daughter was going to watch the cheese rolling race, but didn't think she was participating.
"[I was told] after the fact," said Endrizzi. "After she Skyped me at five in the morning to tell me and show me the cheese."
Endrizzi says the video is a bit disturbing to her, and she's glad her daughter is alright.
"I can't believe she's OK," she said. "She had a CT scan. It's clear and she's good. I can't believe that, because it looks like she shouldn't be OK."
Irving is the first Canadian woman to win a Coopers Hill Cheese Rolling race, and her victory has already made waves with local U.K. media.
The seven-pound wheel of cheese is estimated to be worth hundreds of dollars.
"I like cheese. I'm not a huge fan of cheese, but I will definitely eat this cheese," said Irving.
She says she plans to have friends and family over to help her eat the massive cheese wheel. Even then, she expects there to be leftovers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Closing arguments heard in trial for Sask. dad accused of abducting daughter
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.