It may not be an Olympic sport yet but for Staffordshire shearer Nick Greaves, he has reached the pinnacle of success by setting a new world shearing record on his farm near Stafford over the weekend.
Nick achieved a remarkable feat by shearing 764 lambs in just 8 hours on Saturday,3 August, establishing a new world record.
He surpassed the previous record, set by New Zealand's Jack Fagan in 2022, by 10 lambs.
MORE NEWS | Scientist hits back at nitrate research rebuke
MORE NEWS | Government urged to back methane suppressants for UK farmers
The first lamb was shorn at 7 am, followed by four shearing runs throughout the day, with the final lamb shorn at 5 pm.
Reflecting on his accomplishment, Nick said: “I’m delighted to be a world record holder and can’t quite believe what has happened.
"This has been a long journey that started way before my two-stand record back in 2022. It was always a dream of mine and the entire record’s success is down to a huge team effort.”
He added: “This record would not have been possible without the help and support of my wife Kate and the entire family.
“I’d also like to pay tribute to the support and commitment of so many people, too many to name individually.
"From the farmers supplying the lamb, pen men that were here with me all day, the wool wrappers, those supporting me with my gear and all my family and friends – without all of you, today would not have been possible.”
Kate Drury, an English central board member at British Wool, congratulated Nick on his outstanding world record achievement.
She said: “We appreciate the hard work that also goes on behind the scenes in holding a record such as this and therefore offer congratulations to everyone that has helped and supported Nick in successfully setting a new record.”
The record attempt supported Cancer Research UK as its nominated charity, with fundraising efforts taking place throughout the day.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here