'We train like Olympians':World Toe Wrestling Championship returns to Ashbourne for 50th anniversary

The World Toe Wrestling Championship is returning to Derbyshire for its 50th anniversary this weekend.

The sport was founded in a pub in Wetton, Staffordshire, in 1974.

The event requires a foot battle to take place on a specifically built podium where you lock your toes and battle it out in a best-of-three.

The matches can last up to two hours at times.

Athletes competing have set out their strict training regimes including “toe deadlifts, wearing anti sweat socks, focusing on core exercises as well as moisturising their feet daily”.

The winner of the event will receive a bronze cast trophy in the shape of a foot, as well as a £500 cash prize for both the men's and women’s categories.

Lisa “Twinkletoes” Shenton will also be competing to defend her title for the female toe wrestling division.

The championship will be taking place on August 31, 2024, at the Marketplace, at midday.

Ben Woodroffe said: “Being a toe wrestler is a serious business – we train like Olympians, and it can be very painful, toes can break, and it’s common to suffer blisters and sore knees…but the glory is absolutely worth it. After 50 years the sport deserves recognition and we are hoping that by LA 2028 we’ll be at the Olympics. The fight goes on. My secret weapon is that I’ve had my big toenails surgically removed, to aid my dexterity and toe stamina.”