I’m the toe wrestling world champion – challenge me if you dare --[Reported by Umva mag]

Standing on the dancefloor of a Derby nightclub back in 2010, I was growing increasingly frustrated. 

A group of rowdy lads kept bumping into me without apologising, so, after being knocked for the third time, my friend snapped. 

‘Be careful! She’s the world toe wrestling champion!’ 

After a beat, they immediately threw their heads back and laughed.  

I understand this reaction of course – nobody expects you to say something so random, but that’s what I love about my sport, it’s just good fun and we could all do with a bit of that.    

Being arrogant lads though, a few then said they’d easily beat me. 

‘Come on then.’ I said as I began clearing space. ‘Get your toes out.’ 

Realising I wasn’t joking they quickly Googled me to see if I was lying. When they discovered I was not, their faces dropped. 

In order to save face, one lad took off his shoes and socks, and we were toes away right there and then. 

Of course, I beat him easily, which quickly wiped the smirk off his face. 

He’d underestimated how tough it was to toe wrestle, and he’d underestimated me. 

Someone who didn’t was my boss. In fact, he’s the reason I got into toe wrestling in 2008 in the first place. 

Outside owning a farm that I managed, he also owned a pub and hotel where Paddy McGuinness just happened to be filming his show Great British Adventure. On it, he and co-host Rory McGrath would compete in a whole host of wacky sports, including toe wrestling. 

This prompted my boss to say that I should give it a go as he thought I’d be good at it. I wasn’t so sure though. 

I remember thinking: ‘I’m not sure how riding horses for a living computes to being good at toe wrestling’. However, I was several pints deep at this point and thought ‘why not?’ – at the very least it’d be a funny story one day. 

Toe wrestling is like arm wrestling, but with your feet. The battle takes place on a specially built ‘toedium’, that has two walls on either side. You lock your toes in there, and it’s the best of three starting with your right foot. You need to touch the wall with your foot or toe  

To my surprise, I was good at it. It turns out horse riding is good for toe wrestling because you need power, and the power comes from your legs and core. 

I actually made it to the final against the then-champion, but sadly, I ended up going the wrong way and she won. I was gutted.  

To lose on such a silly mistake was frustrating, especially as I’m such a competitive person by nature. But it did teach me a valuable lesson: save the drinking for afterwards.  

I also knew that, if I started to take this seriously, I could easily beat her next year. 

So, I carried over my nickname from playing football – ‘twinkletoes’ – and began competing seriously. 

Since then, I’ve won seven world titles: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2024. But last year’s win was the most special for me.  

Right before the competition in 2022 I lost my mum. Devastated and grieving, I made the decision not to compete that year. 

But Mum had always loved that I was a world champion. She’d tell her friends to look out for me in the paper and was always cheering me on with my dad at the events.  

I couldn’t imagine competing and not hearing her shouting, but I also knew she wouldn’t want me to stop. 

Attempting to regain the title in 2023 was emotional. It was a tough final that felt like it lasted an eternity, but in the end I finally beat my competitor.  

My dad picked me up and celebrated with me on the stage, which is a memory I’ll cherish forever.  

This year’s tournament marked the 50th anniversary of the sport and I was both excited and nervous.  

Like any competition, you don’t know how it’ll go down until the day. But, I take my training very seriously – if I don’t prepare, the consequence for my back is agony.

But I’m also glad to see that the sport is growing internationally and getting the attention it deserves. Especially from big name sponsors that help keep it alive, like Oddlygood® – a brand that makes tasty Barista Oat Drinks – which is sponsored this year’s grand 50th anniversary tournament.

It’s even rumoured to be an event at the 2028 Olympics in LA, so I plan to keep going for as long as possible! 

And really, just like those lads on the dancefloor discovered, no one should underestimate me or my ‘twinkletoes’. 

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing James.Besanvalle@metro.co.uk. 

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