Horseshoe pitchers compete for gold
Over 100 contestants between the ages of five and 85 took part in the 2013 Swedish horseshoe-pitching championships in Emmaboda, southern Sweden.
A total of 109 people competed for gold in six leagues on Saturday.
"It's a sport for all ages," Lars-Åke Brincner, president of the Swedish Horseshoe Pitching Society (Svenska Hästkokastarförbundet), told the TT news agency.
The contestants take alternating turns tossing a total of five horseshoes at stakes in the ground from a distance of six metres. The aim is to get as close to the stakes as possible.
Horseshoe pitching came to Sweden in 1993. A man named P.O Hansson had visited Poland with three colleagues the year before. They went to a horseshoe-pitching contest there and decided to bring the sport to Sweden.
In 1993, Calrskrona Hsc - Sweden's first horseshoe-pitching team - was formed. Soon after, 23 teams participated in Sweden's very first official horseshoe-pitching competition.
The interest grew quickly and by 1994 the first national championships were arranged in Växjö, with ice hockey legend Börje Salming competing for Carlskrona Hsc.
Swedish horseshoe-pitching enthusiasts have made several attempts at entering the Guiness Book of Records, with one Swede - Kalle "the knife" Gyllenfjell - succeeding back in 1996.
Gyllenfjell threw 825 horseshoes in eight minutes and 15 seconds and hit the stake 528 times.
Most horseshoe-pitching clubs are in south east Sweden, but the sport is expanding. A new club recently opened on the Baltic island of Gotland.
In addition to separate men's and women's tournaments in the Swedish championships, there is also a mixed tournament, where both men and women compete.
There are also rounds of doubles and junior and "minior" tournaments for the younger horseshoe-pitching enthusiasts.
Lisbeth Nygaard-Karlsson from Tingsryd, south Sweden won the women's tournament. In the men's division, Jabir Malghouth of Växjö, south Sweden took home the gold.
TT/The Local/nr Follow The Local on Twitter
Comments
See Also
A total of 109 people competed for gold in six leagues on Saturday.
"It's a sport for all ages," Lars-Åke Brincner, president of the Swedish Horseshoe Pitching Society (Svenska Hästkokastarförbundet), told the TT news agency.
The contestants take alternating turns tossing a total of five horseshoes at stakes in the ground from a distance of six metres. The aim is to get as close to the stakes as possible.
Horseshoe pitching came to Sweden in 1993. A man named P.O Hansson had visited Poland with three colleagues the year before. They went to a horseshoe-pitching contest there and decided to bring the sport to Sweden.
In 1993, Calrskrona Hsc - Sweden's first horseshoe-pitching team - was formed. Soon after, 23 teams participated in Sweden's very first official horseshoe-pitching competition.
The interest grew quickly and by 1994 the first national championships were arranged in Växjö, with ice hockey legend Börje Salming competing for Carlskrona Hsc.
Swedish horseshoe-pitching enthusiasts have made several attempts at entering the Guiness Book of Records, with one Swede - Kalle "the knife" Gyllenfjell - succeeding back in 1996.
Gyllenfjell threw 825 horseshoes in eight minutes and 15 seconds and hit the stake 528 times.
Most horseshoe-pitching clubs are in south east Sweden, but the sport is expanding. A new club recently opened on the Baltic island of Gotland.
In addition to separate men's and women's tournaments in the Swedish championships, there is also a mixed tournament, where both men and women compete.
There are also rounds of doubles and junior and "minior" tournaments for the younger horseshoe-pitching enthusiasts.
Lisbeth Nygaard-Karlsson from Tingsryd, south Sweden won the women's tournament. In the men's division, Jabir Malghouth of Växjö, south Sweden took home the gold.
TT/The Local/nr Follow The Local on Twitter
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.