Medal joy for Stroud firefighters (From Stroud News and Journal)

Medal joy for Stroud firefighters

STROUD firefighters Steve Price and Tammy Bell picked up three medals at the ninth World Firefighters Games in Hong Kong.

Price scooped gold in the 2000m indoor rowing. Meanwhile, Bell managed to come home with a silver in 100m hurdles and bronze in the 100m relay.

The team also featured Gloucester firefighters Simon Booth and Bev Booth, who won gold, double silver and bronze.

Earlier, a parade of 3000 competitors, marched behind 45 individual national flags to reach the Games village that was officially opened by Jackie Chan.

The games began with the gruelling Toughest Firefighter Alive Competition. This involved a series of timed tasks indicative of the sorts of operational duties that any firefighter would have to carry out.

However, they were made as arduous as possible, such as having to drag eight lengths of hose simultaneously to full extension, and then roll up two more in under five minutes, dragging a 14 stone dummy up to 200m.

Over the week, the Gloucestershire team entered many events from the stair climb, which involved racing up 54 flights of stairs, (just over 2000 steps) the track and field events, indoor rowing, cross country, half marathon, arm wrestling, beach volley ball and speed climbing.