Michael Edwards, 28, has been declared the new heavyweight Cornish wrestling champion of the world after a hard-fought competition at Castle an Dinas, near St Columb Major.
As a local athlete who is supported by the GLL Sport Foundation (GSF), Michael is a gold medal winning judoka who has recently moved into Cornish wrestling.
The centuries-old sport is played between two players who both wear jackets with four pins in the back. The aim is for an opponent to be thrown flat so as many of those pins as possible hit the ground. The game is refereed by sticklers, and a Back is achieved when all four pins make contact. If no Back is awarded, the winner is the wrestler with the most points within the time limit.
“The first fight was a tough 10-minute bout against the former light-heavyweight champion via points,” said Michael. “My next bout was against another judoka from Bournemouth who I beat by scoring a Back.
“I fought a much larger European wrestling champion from Scotland in the final. After two very tough ten-minute rounds, a split decision amongst the sticklers declared me as the winner.
“I’m very grateful to GSF for the support they provide with my training – enabling me to access any Better facility throughout the UK free of charge. That’s a huge help.”
Operating under the Better brand, GLL is the not-for-profit social enterprise that runs nine leisure centres in Cornwall on behalf of the council. In 2025, 144 Cornwall-based athletes, representing 23 sports, received GSF support worth £92,150.
“To be crowned Cornish wrestling’s heavyweight champion of the world is fantastic,” said Karen Edmond, GLL Community Sports Manager.
“Many congratulations to Michael on his truly amazing win.”
Online applications for 2026 GSF awards run from 20 December 2025 to 20 February 2026. For more information, visit https://www.gllsportfoundation.org/how-to-apply
