So close yet so far: Army ladies finish bittersweet fourth place at World Tug-of-War Championships
The British Army ladies' tug-of-war team have finished an agonising fourth place in Mossel Bay, South Africa, missing out on a medal by the narrowest of margins at the World Championships.
Representing England in the gruelling Senior Ladies 540kg Open Competition, the squad delivered a display of pure grit and relentless determination, which ultimately saw them finish in fourth place, outside of the medal positions.
In one of the most physically demanding disciplines on the global sports stage, the Army team went toe to toe with the global elite in high-stakes anchor battles, repeating their fourth place finish from last year and narrowly missing the chance to replicate their historic best-ever bronze medal performance from 2023.
The global competition reached an incredibly high standard, with powerhouses Chinese Taipei dominating the Senior Ladies 540kg Competition.
The elite Jingmei squad claimed gold ahead of silver medalists Gaztedi, representing the Basque Country, while Chinese Taipei's second entry, Dai Shi Dai Jingmei, rounded up the podium to take home bronze.
Despite the near-miss on the world stage, the Army ladies returns home with heads held high.
Their performance in Massel Bay caps off an incredible summer campaign, coming just weeks after the Army ladies stormed to victory to capture gold at the British and Irish Championships in Cork, Ireland.
While fourth in the world leaves a lingering feeling of unfinished business, the squad's consistency at the very top tier of the sport proves they remain a formidable force on the international circuit at a very exciting time for the sport of tug-of-war after the Tug of War International Federation (TWIF) put forward a bid for the sport to be included in the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
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