Snailer Swift has been crowned world snail racing champion after beating hundreds of rivals at the quirky annual Norfolk competition.
A snail named Snailer Swift has raced to victory at the World Snail Racing Championships in West Norfolk.
The appropriately named champion, a play on superstar Taylor Swift, beat hundreds of rivals at the annual event held at Grimston Cricket Club near Congham on Saturday 18 July.
Snails compete by starting inside a circle and racing outwards towards the edge of a 13-inch course, encouraged by the traditional call of “Ready, steady, slow!”
Snailer Swift completed the course in just over three minutes to take the 2026 world title and the traditional prize of a silver tankard filled with lettuce.
The championships have been held in the Congham area since the 1960s, after founder Tom Elwes was inspired by a snail racing event he saw in France.
This year’s competition formed part of a wider Summer Big Bash, which also featured family entertainment, the Mark Redhead Memorial Cricket Match and live music.
Hundreds of people attended the event, with money raised supporting community causes and St Andrew’s Church in Congham.
Despite Snailer Swift’s impressive performance, the championship record remains unbeaten. Archie completed the course in exactly two minutes in 1995 – a world record that has now stood for more than 30 years.

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