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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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". <br /><br />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".<br /><br />Toe wrestling sees bare foot competitors locking toes and trying to pin their opponent's foot to a wooden plank in similar rules to arm wrestling. <br /><br />The wacky sport was founded in a pub in the Derbyshire village of Wetton in 1974 and gained worldwide interest - including from US ice-cream company Ben & Jerry's who bought the trademark in 2006. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Ben, of Walsall, West Mids., 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.<br /><br />"I used to go and watch toe-wrestling with my parents when it was on, my family introduced me to it really.<br /><br />"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. <br /><br />“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, that was about 16 years ago. <br /><br />“I've done it pretty much every year since unless injury has stopped me. <br /><br />"I wasn’t able to compete for four years, I had badly broke my ankles and had a meniscus repair in my knees. <br /><br />“It's exactly like arm wrestling however you compete on the toedium and you’ve got two upright planks. <br /><br />"The referee says 'toes away' and you start your battle. You want to push your opponents foot onto the plank. <br /><br />“It's a lot harder but you’re using similar sorts of muscles. You gain a lot of power from your core. <br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"Being the toe-wrestling world champion feels like being an Olympian - I can now say that I’ve won a gold medal."<br /><br />Ben trains for competitions using a toe stretcher, which works out the ligaments between the toes. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />Ben added: “A few years ago as I got better I realised that my toenail was causing me problems and pushing into my skin. I got them removed. <br /><br />"I'm competitive, you have to be as a world champion. <br /><br />“Alan broken quite a few of his toes too. He had a couple of operations. He's broke nine toes in wrestling. <br /><br />“As with any contact sport, you have to be careful of hygiene, too – there can be fungal infections, verruca's or warts.<br /><br />“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." <br /><br />The championships are held every August in the Haig Bar in Derbyshire and usually attracts between 10 to 20 competitors.<br /><br />Ben accepts the sport isn't for everyone but says his partner supports him regardless and plans to compete again this year.
