Leaping hurdles and negotiating a challenging water pool, Taisto Miettinen, a 46-year-old lawyer, and Kristiina Haapanen successfully defended their title in Sonkajarvi, Finland's annual wife-carrying competition in front of 6,500 enthusiastic spectators. With his partner's legs wrapped around his head, Miettinen sprinted 830 feet, less than a second ahead of Estonian rivals Alar Voogla and Kristi Viltrop, to defeat 46 other couples from ten different countries, including Israel, Russia and the United States, and win for the third straight time in the event's storied 16-year history. The competition has its roots in the legend of Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen, a local 19th-century bandit who lived in the forest and stole food -- and sometimes girls -- from nearby villages. Those were the days.
No comments:
Post a Comment