Udder joy: Italian man is world's best cow-milker
An Italian man has won the world cow-milking championship in northern Italy, after the title holder said the anti-doping checks were not rigorous enough and refused to compete.
Gianmario Ghirardi, 31, won the title after milking 8.7 litres of milk from his cow in two minutes, La Repubblica reported.
The milker from Malonno fended off thousands of rivals to win the championship in Lenna, close to the Swiss border. In collecting his trophy Ghirardi credited the victory to Mirka, the winning cow he has owned for seven years.
The duo beat off competition from local Nicolò Quarteroni, who came in second place with 8.05 litres.
Both smashed the Guinness World Record held by German Gunther Wahl, who milked 2 litres from a cow in 2008. The record was then beaten in 2012 by Maurizio Paschetta, from Cuneo in northern Italy, who refused to compete in this year’s event.
“For a competition at this level I would have expected strong anti-doping checks on the cows and milkers to protect the animals and guarantee transparency of the top positions,” he was quoted as saying.
“The event could be a showcase for the agricultural world and its traditions, but this has been neglected in the organization,” Paschetta said.
Such criticism was however dismissed by Francesco Maroni, assistant president of organizing body Fiera di San Matteo. “We are experts...we checked the cows for any tampering for an hour, then there are eight judges,” he said.
Watch a video of the competition (in Italian):
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Gianmario Ghirardi, 31, won the title after milking 8.7 litres of milk from his cow in two minutes, La Repubblica reported.
The milker from Malonno fended off thousands of rivals to win the championship in Lenna, close to the Swiss border. In collecting his trophy Ghirardi credited the victory to Mirka, the winning cow he has owned for seven years.
The duo beat off competition from local Nicolò Quarteroni, who came in second place with 8.05 litres.
Both smashed the Guinness World Record held by German Gunther Wahl, who milked 2 litres from a cow in 2008. The record was then beaten in 2012 by Maurizio Paschetta, from Cuneo in northern Italy, who refused to compete in this year’s event.
“For a competition at this level I would have expected strong anti-doping checks on the cows and milkers to protect the animals and guarantee transparency of the top positions,” he was quoted as saying.
“The event could be a showcase for the agricultural world and its traditions, but this has been neglected in the organization,” Paschetta said.
Such criticism was however dismissed by Francesco Maroni, assistant president of organizing body Fiera di San Matteo. “We are experts...we checked the cows for any tampering for an hour, then there are eight judges,” he said.
Watch a video of the competition (in Italian):
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