Shear brilliance Working at rapid clip helps woman set world record

Una Cameron may not be an Olympian, but this week she achieved a feat of athleticism to rival anything accomplished by Team GB in Paris - and requiring just as much intensive training and support.

- Esther Addley

On Wednesday, at the age of 51, Cameron shattered the world sheepshearing record at a farm in Cornwall, cropping a remarkable 517 sheep in nine hours - an effort described by one expert as the equivalent of running two marathons back to back.

Speaking the morning after, Cameron told the Guardian she felt "like I've been run over by a tank...

I am sore. My body hurts in places I didn't know I had." After fuelling herself throughout the day with overnight oats and rice puddings, she had celebrated the event's conclusion with a couple of treats that had been banned as part of her strict training regime: "A beer and a Curly Wurly - that was my request, and that's what I got."