Meet the toe wrestling world champion

By Adam Dutton via SWNS

A railway worker has put his best foot forward to be crowned the world champion of TOE-WRESTLING - 20 years after taking up the bizarre sport.

Ben Woodroffe, 34, went toe-to-toe with a 17-time world champion to win the crown following years of training, broken bones and having toenails surgically removed.

He fell in love with the unusual pastime aged 14 and spent the next two decades perfecting his technique to compete in the World Toe Wrestling Championships.

Ben has even had both big toenails surgically removed to give him a competitive edge against the world's best toe-wrestlers while battling on the "toedium."

And his dream finally became a reality when he beat reigning champ Alan “Nasty” Nash last year to claim the title, leaving him feeling "like an Olympian."

Toe wrestling sees barefoot competitors locking toes and trying to pin their opponent's foot to a wooden plank in similar rules to arm wrestling.

The wacky sport was founded in a pub in the Derbyshire village of Wetton, UK, in 1974 and gained worldwide interest - including from US ice-cream company Ben & Jerry's who bought the trademark in 2006.

But the championships are now run by Ben and Alan who together purchased back the rights to the Toe Wrestling Federation in 2016 to bring it home to Britain.

Ben, who is also known as "Toe-tal Destruction," says matches can last up to a grueling two hours during which competitors can sometimes break bones.

Ben, of Walsall, England, a project supply chain leader for train manufacturers Alstom, said: “It all started in Wetton as I lived down the road when I was a boy.

"I used to go and watch toe-wrestling with my parents when it was on, my family introduced me to it really."

"It was up my street. I'm not the most athletic person around so I thought what can I do sat down. I wanted to do something unusual.

“The first time I competed I was around 14 and I competed in the juniors. When I got to 18 then I competed in the men's championship, which was about 16 years ago.

“I've done it pretty much every year since unless injury has stopped me.

"I wasn’t able to compete for four years, I had badly broke my ankles and had a meniscus repair in my knees.

“It's exactly like arm wrestling however you compete on the toedium and you’ve got two upright planks.

"The referee says 'toes away' and you start your battle. You want to push your opponent's foot onto the plank.

“It's a lot harder but you’re using similar sorts of muscles. You gain a lot of power from your core.

"You obviously have to have strong legs. You need to be strong-willed. It’s unbelievable the strength that some people have in their toes.

"We have had people from all over the globe winning it since it began, but I’m glad I could reclaim it as a local all these years later.

"Being the toe-wrestling world champion feels like being an Olympian - I can now say that I’ve won a gold medal."

Ben trains for competitions using a toe stretcher, which works out the ligaments between the toes.

He also used to remove his body hair to give more friction and grip on the stage as well as having both big toenails removed.

Ben added: “A few years ago as I got better I realized that my toenail was causing me problems and pushing into my skin. I got them removed.

"I'm competitive, you have to be as a world champion."

“Alan broke quite a few of his toes too. He had a couple of operations. He's broke nine toes in wrestling.

“As with any contact sport, you have to be careful of hygiene, too – there can be fungal infections, verrucas or warts.

“We have invested very heavily every year for the world championships. We're bringing it back from the ashes. People think it’s weird but I get that."

The championships are held every August in the Haig Bar in Derbyshire and usually attracts between 10 to 20 competitors.

Ben accepts the sport isn't for everyone but says his partner supports him regardless and plans to compete again this year.

He added: “It was a very strange one last year as I wasn’t actually going to compete, I wasn’t going to bother. The night before my father-in-law was going to do it.

“I showed him how to do it but I beat him with ease. It was my partner who actually said to me why don’t you just give it a go.

“The misses is supportive, behind every strong man is a strong woman. She's a massive help. I’m sure when I first met she thought it was weird.

"The rest is history. It's not very often you can say to someone that you’re a world champion of something.

"Now I'm the one to beat."