Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina Haapanen from Finland took gold in the home race, which became their fifth title in a row.
For
the championships, wives are carried over a purpose-built 831ft
(253.5m) sand course with obstacles including a metre deep pool of
water.
The
objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle
track in the fastest time. The sport was first introduced at
Sonkajärvi, Finland.
As concerns the
rules then they are quite simple, however a few interesting points
present: a) the wife to be carried may be your own, the neighbor's, or
you may have found her further afield; she must, however, be over 17
years of age;
b) the minimum weight
of the wife to be carried is 49 kilograms. If she is less than 49 kg,
the wife will be burdened with a rucksack containing additional weight
such that the total load to be carried is no less than 49 kg.
Several
types of carry may be practised: piggyback, fireman's carry (over the
shoulder), or Estonian-style (the wife hangs upside-down with her legs
around the husband's shoulders, holding onto his waist).
Wife Carrying World Championships are held annually in Sonkajärvi, Finland since 1992.
