Intro:

Ville Parviainen and Janette Oksman of Finland won the Wife-Carrying World Championships in Sonkajarvi, Finland, on Friday.

Script:

The 19th edition of the Wife-Carrying World Championships took place in Sonkajarvi in Finland.

The contest is rooted in the 19th century legend of Ronkainen the Robber, who allegedly tested aspiring members of his gang by forcing them to lug sacks of grain or live animals over a similar course.

Another theory is that it stems from an even earlier tribal practice of wife-stealing!

On Friday, these contestants upheld this tradition.

The most popular method of carrying the women is called the 'Estonian' method, where the woman's legs are wrapped around the man's head and she hangs upside-down behind him.

Finnish partners, Ville Parviainen and Janette Oksman, won this year's title:

SOUNDBITE (English): Ville Parviainen, winner

"I think we put the woman on a diet, and I started running and that was the key, really."

Married couples are advised not to try this at home!