Hundreds vie for gold in Wenlock Olympian Games in Much Wenlock
Hundreds of competitors descended on Much Wenlock in the hope of claiming a prized gold medal on the main day of action for this year's Wenlock Olympian Games.
Archers, footballers, runners and athletes of all ages showed the event is still held in high regard.
It was founded by townsman William Penny Brookes 166 years ago.
Brookes has been credited as one of the leading figures in the movement to create today's modern Olympic Games.
Events have been running throughout this month and the Games will come to a close next weekend with a long distance walk starting at 8am on Saturday and finishing at 8am on Sunday.
Mac Bardsley, PR officer for the Games, said: "Sunday was the main day of the games. We had really big archery and fencing events, a big junior five-a-side football tournament, and all the athletics events. Hundreds of people took part.
"Some came a long way – the archery event, for instance, counted towards national standings so we had people coming from all over for that.
"The junior athletics and football events, they tended to be more local people.
"But it's clear the event still has a massive pull and a great appeal. We give out proper medals, we have a podium, gold, silver and bronze, and it's still an important tradition in the town for people. We had a few blips with the weather, but by and large it's been great again."
William Penny Brookes was born in Much Wenlock in 1809, and in 1850 he went on to form the Wenlock Olympian Class.
The first Games, held in October 1850, were a mixture of athletics and also traditional country sports such as quoits, football and cricket.
In 1890, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the organiser of an International Congress on Physical Education visited Much Wenlock in the October of that year.
The two men discussed their similar ambitions and Penny Brookes, then aged 81, shared with the 27-year-old Coubertin his dream of an Olympic revival, an international Games to be staged in Athens.
