Wife-carrying

Eukonkanto originated in Finland. Tales have been passed down of a man named Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen (aka Ronkainen the Robber^[1]). This man was thought to be a robber in the late 1800s who lived in a forest. He supposedly ran around with his gang of thieves causing harm to villagers. From what has been found, there are three ideas as to why/how this sport was invented. Firstly, that Rosvo-Ronkainen and his thieves were accused of stealing food and abducting women from villages in the area he lived in, then carrying these women on their backs as they ran away (hence the "wife" or woman carrying). The second suggestion is that young men would go to neighbouring villages, and abduct women to forcibly marry, often women who were already married. These wives were also carried on the backs of the young men; this was referred to as "the practice of wife stealing". Lastly, is the idea that Rosvo-Ronkainen trained his thieves to be "faster and stronger" by carrying big, heavy sacks on their backs, from which this sport evolved. Though the sport is often considered a joke, competitors take it very seriously, just like any other sport.^[2]

Wife carrying contests have taken place in Australia, the United States, Hong Kong, India, Germany, the UK and other parts of the world besides Finland and nearby Sweden, Estonia and Latvia, and the sport has a category in the Guinness Book of Records.^[3][4][5]

• 1996 – Jouni Jussila and Tiina Jussila, 66.2 seconds.
• 1997 – Jouni Jussila and Tiina Jussila, 65.0 seconds.^[6]
• 1998 – Imre Ambos and Annela Ojaste , 69.2 seconds.^[7]
• 1999 – Imre Ambos and Annela Ojaste , 64.5 seconds.
• 2000 – Margo Uusorg and Birgit Ulrich,^[8] 55.5 seconds.
• 2001 – Margo Uusorg and Birgit Ulrich , 55.6 seconds.^[9]
• 2002 – Meelis Tammre and Anne Zillberberg , 63.8 seconds.
• 2003 – Margo Uusorg and Egle Soll , 60.7 seconds.^[10]
• 2004 – Madis Uusorg and Inga Klauso , 65.3 seconds.^[11]
• 2005 – Margo Uusorg and Egle Soll , 59.1 seconds.^[12]
• 2006 – Margo Uusorg and Sandra Kullas , 56.9 seconds.^[13]
• 2007 – Madis Uusorg and Inga Klauso , 61.7 seconds.^[14]
• 2008 – Alar Voogla and Kirsti Viltrop , 61.9 seconds.^[15]
• 2009 – Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina Haapanen , 62.0 seconds.^{[citation needed]}
• 2010 – Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina Haapanen , 64.9 seconds.^{[citation needed]}
• 2011 – Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina Haapanen , 60.7 seconds.^[16]
• 2012 – Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina Haapanen , 61.2 seconds.
• 2013 – Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina Haapanen , 65.0 seconds.^[17]
• 2014 – Ville Parviainen and Janette Oksman , 63.7 seconds.
• 2015 – Ville Parviainen and Sari Viljanen , 62.7 seconds.
• 2016 – Dmitry Sagal and Anastasia Loginova, 62.7 seconds.
• 2017 – Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina Haapanen , 68.6 seconds.
• 2018 – Vytautas Kirkliauskas and Neringa Kirkliauskiene, 65.1 seconds.
• 2019 – Vytautas Kirkliauskas and Neringa Kirkliauskiene, 66.7 seconds.
• 2020 – Event not held
• 2021 – Event not held^[18]
• 2022 – Taisto Miettinen and Katja Kovanen, 67.4 seconds.
• 2023 – Taisto Miettinen and Katja Kovanen, 66.4 seconds.
• 2024 – Vytautas Kirkliauskas and Neringa Kirkliauskiene, 63.5 seconds.
• 2025 – Caleb Roesler and Justine Roesler, 61.1 seconds.

• North American champions Ehrin and April Armstrong were featured as guests on a first-season episode of GSN's revival of I've Got a Secret.
• BBC Presenters Mike Bushell and Steph McGovern reversed the roles when they took part in the UK annual wife-carrying competition in 2013, she carried him. Bushell said this was a first.^[22]

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