Aussie who won world-famous English cheese-rolling race reveals the eerie prediction he made before picking up a nasty injury in the chaotic event

An Aussie daredevil has risked serious injury to win one of Gloucestershire's historic and world famous annual cheese-rolling races - after making an eerie prediction about the event before departing from down under.

Hundreds of people gathered at Cooper's Hill, near Brockworth in south-west England's Cotswolds region, to watch the event, which is thought to have its roots in a pagan festival to celebrate the return of spring.

Competitors chase a 3kg Double Gloucester cheese that's set rolling down the steep 180-metre hill. Many trip and tumble as they go, and serious injuries are not uncommon.

The steep gradient means the event is not for the faint-hearted, and the cheese can reach speeds of up to 110km/h, with the first runner to catch it crowned the winner.

Perth competitor Dylan Twiss won the second men's downhill event, picking up a nasty gash on his leg in the process that required stitches afterwards.

'I was trying to stay on my feet,' said Twiss afterwards.

'Then I started rolling so I just had to go with it.

'Every time I found my feet were on the ground I took another couple of steps.'

Twiss was first made aware of the event while hanging out with mates in Australia and decided then to have a shot at the title.

'I told them, "I'm going to go do that, and to top it off I'm going to win it,' he told Nine's Today show.

When asked why he participated in the event, Twiss answered: 'It's taking something that is quite silly incredibly serious - which is a great British trait, and I think Australians are good at stepping it up too.'

Twiss said that some people train for the event, but that that wasn't his approach.

'People do train, but most of [his preparation] has come from a lifetime of pushing slightly beyond my limits athletically and falling over a lot - so you get good at it,' he grinned. 

The first men's race was won by Tom Kopke from Germany who told the BBC he was 'buzzing' and would be back next year to defend his title.

Mr Kopke, who runs his own YouTube channel, said: 'I love this event and it's just crazy. The day before I went cliff diving and I am all for these crazy events.

'I promised my grandma I am going to give it to her, so she is going to get the cheese.'

American YouTuber and rapper Speedy, or IShowSpeed, came fourth in this year's cheese-rolling event but injured himself on the way down.

He vowed to try again at next year's event, proclaiming he 'knows how to win now'.

Josh Shepherd from Brockworth won the third men's race of the day and told the BBC he had to 'bring it home for Brockworth'.

Competitor Ollie, who was dressed in a gorilla costume, lost his head and feet on the way down and jokingly compared the challenge to yoga.

There was a false start to the women's race at 1pm, where participants started to tumble down the hill, but no cheese had been rolled.

But after a slight hiccup, the women's race was won by Abby Lampe from North Carolina who took home the trophy for the second time after her win back in 2022.

Concerns were raised by Tewkesbury Borough Safety Advisory Group who said last year's event put a strain on emergency services after a number of people suffered injuries.

Organisers cleared the hill for stones, rocks, brambles and other potential hazards for today's event but couldn't guarantee they had cleared everything.

Participants do not need to register online or pay a huge entrance fee to take part.

Assistant Chief Constable Arman Mathieson from Gloucestershire Police said the event is a 'unique tradition and we have no desire to stop it'.

But police had a duty to tell the public that the council's safety group had declared it unsafe.

'Those intending to go should consider the risk they might be putting themselves at' he said.

The Safety Advisory Group said it has made 'numerous attempts' to engage with organisers but they have not shared how they plan to keep people safe this year.

The group, which is made up of multiple agencies, said they were concerned about how emergency services would be able to respond if there was a major incident, after ambulances struggled to access the site in 2023.

The winner of last year's women's race was knocked unconscious at the finish line and she only discovered she'd won when she woke up in a medical tent.

Despite yearly warnings about the event, people travel from all over the world to attend.

There are multiple races and the rules are simple - get to the bottom of the hill first.

Gravity does most of the hard work, as competitors run - or in most cases tumble - down the steep slope.

Volunteers are ready to help catch runners at the bottom but injuries are almost inevitable.