NEW ZEALAND dominated the 13th Golden Shears World Championships in sheep shearing held in Norway this weekend, taking home four of the six titles up for grabs.
New Zealand won both the individual and team events in wool handling and machine shearing.
About 100 sheep shearers from a record 28 countries, including Australia, Montenegro, France and the United States, displayed their skills in the four-day competition, which for the first time ever was held in a non-English speaking country.
"This is not just about speed but is also a question of technique," explained event spokeswoman Elin Ravndal Bell.
"Shearers who cut their animals lose points," she told AFP.
It can take as little as 20 seconds to shear an entire sheep, but at the world championships the times usually average around 30 to 40 seconds.
Clipping with scissors, or blade shearing, meanwhile takes around two minutes.
New Zealand's wool handling team needed just 7 minutes 53 seconds to polish off 16 lambs, while its machine shearing
Sheree Alabaster claimed the wool handling individual final, handling 10 lambs in just 12 minutes 52 seconds, and Paul Avery handled 20 lambs in 15 minutes 6 seconds.
Lesotho clinched the team blade shearing title, shearing 10 lambs in 13 minutes 49 seconds, and South Africa's Zweliwile Hans took home the individual blade shearing honours, finishing 10 lambs in 21 minutes 20 seconds. team finished 20 lambs in 16 minutes 15 seconds.
AAP
