Damn, I Bet On Latvia

The Estonians take home the gold:

Sonkajaervi, Finland - With his friend Inga Klauso riding upside-down on his back, Madis Uusorg crossed the finishing line here after just one minute and 5.3 seconds, securing an Estonian gold in the 2004 Wife-Carrying World Championships.

The whimsical event, held this weekend for the 13th time, can best be described as a steeplechase in which horses are exchanged for brute human force and the "wife", instead of riding traditional piggy-back style, rides upside down on the runner's back with her legs slung over his shoulders for maximum speed.

"It's pretty unpleasant, but not as bad as it seems," the petite Klauso said. As she weighs just 48 kilos, one kilo less than the minimum allowed, Uusorg had to be laden with an extra kilo in order to meet the necessary requirements.
'We made up this new sport so we at least can boast a world champion title in something'

The only other requirement for participation is that the "wife" be at least 17 years old. Despite the name of the contest, there is no need to be married to compete.

This was originally a domestic Finnish competition. But Estonian teams have recently dominated.

My favorite line is this:

"We can't win the ice hockey and football world championships, so we made up this new sport so we at least can boast a world champion title in something," Jarmo Miettinen, a native of Sonkajaervi, told AFP with a smile.