(WGHP) — A recent NC State University graduate became the world cheese-rolling champion in England on Sunday, according to a statement released by the university.
Abby Lampe, 21, of Smithfield, woke up on Monday to find a video of her winning the women’s division of the 2022 Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake near Gloucester, England, had gone viral on multiple social media sites.
During the contest, a wheel of cheese is rolled down a hill, and contestants go tumbling after it. The contestant who catches the cheese wheel wins and also gets to keep it as their prize.
After a 15-second roll down a 200-yard hill, Abby celebrated her win at a nearby pub with her prize cheese wheel in hand.
The cheese-chasing competition is an ancient tradition that goes back to pre-Roman times, experts say.
Abby woke up at 4:30 a.m. the day after her victory to respond to media requests from all across North Carolina.
“It’s been kind of wild,” she said. “I didn’t expect to be doing any of that this morning.”
As her followers on social media doubled during the day after her big win, she updated her biography on Instagram to “2022 women’s cheese rolling world champion.”
Governor Roy Cooper even congratulated Abby in a tweet, saying “This is quite the accomplishment. Congrats Abby Lampe on becoming cheese-rolling champion of the world.”
