Champion sheep shearer cuts it close

January 29, 1997
Web posted at: 9:30 p.m. EST (0230 GMT)

WINTON, New Zealand (CNN) -- No one can say "bah" to Darin Forde's worldly ambitions anymore.

The shearer set a world record for sheep shearing Tuesday, fleecing 720 sheep in just nine hours. That exceeded the old mark of 716.

The backbreaking work started at 5 a.m. sharp, and Forde buzzed his way through the flocks with an average of 34 strokes per sheep.

Nausea and stomach cramps set him back in the morning, but Forde stepped up the pace after lunch.

"I just don't know how I got through it, actually," said a modest but triumphant Forde.

No doubt it helped that friends and family flocked to encourage him. Forde's brother Edsel, a former world-record holder, timed his brother through the trials.

And Dion Morrell, the man whose record he topped, had no doubt about Forde's ability. "He's just full of heart. He's got all the technique."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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