Most successful shearer

The most successful shearer in the history of competition shearing is legendary New Zealander David Fagan.

Now 52, he has won almost 630 finals around the world since first shearing in 1981-82, and won 12 world titles spanning almost a quarter of a century – the individual event in 1988, 1992, 1996, 1998, and 2003, and team titles in 1986, 1988, 1992 and 1994 (four-in-a-row), and 1998, 2003 and 2010.

In 2003, he shore the final’s fastest time – 15 minutes 27.4 seconds – for 20 strongwool ewes.

They came back

The 16th Golden Shears World Championships will feature 10 competitors who have been there before. They all took part in the ninth championship in Gorey in 1998. They include the two-man blades shearing teams of both the United States and England.

At 68, American blades shearer Kevin Ford is the oldest competitor, while George Mudge, 67, has competed in more Golden Shears World Championships than anyone else.

The 10 are: George Mudge (England), blades shearer; Andrew Wear (England), blades shearer; Rainer Blumelhuber (Germany), machine shearer; Tony Dobbs (New Zealand), blades shearer; George Graham (Ireland), woolhandler; Albert Karandaev (Russia), machine shearer; Zweliwile Elias Hans (South Africa), blades shearer; Kevin Ford (USA), blades shearer; Doug Ratthke (USA), blades shear; Elfed Jackson (Wales), blades shearer.

The youngest

The youngest competitor is defending woolhandling champion Joel Henare, 22, of New Zealand. He had won New Zealand’s Woolhandler of the Year final five times before turning 20.