It's not often you find yourself in contention for a world title off the back of a spontaneous trip to the Glencore Singleton Show.

Yet that is what happened to Merewether couple Nicholas Metcalfe and Jess Codrington when visiting Singleton over the weekend.

The dynamic duo stood superior out of the five couples competing at the 15th Annual Australian Wife Carrying Titles, sponsored by Crawfords Freightlines, with a time of 1:18.

As a result they have accepted an invitation to represent Australia at the 2020 World Wife Carrying World Championships which have been held in Sonkajrvi, Finland since 1992.

"It's starting to sink in after seeing it in the Argus and ABC online so it's been good," Metcalfe told the Singleton Argus earlier this week.

"We had never been to a Rodeo together so we thought we'd go on the Friday night and when we arrived we saw there was a wife carrying contest.

"So we thought we'd try it out and signed up that night."

The Newcastle born Metcalfe showcased his composure from his NHRU (Newcastle Hunter Rugby Union) career with Waratah.

He then out classed his opponents with his agility once showcased during his local AFL career with Warners Bay.

He also played at a high level within Melbourne's EDFL (Essendon District Football League) where he also represented Keilor Park for six seasons.

"I was sort of just winging it but I found the hardest part of the course was just running through the tyres," he continued.

"Under heavy legs it was hard to keep your feet but we were one of the two couples that didn't fall over so that worked out well."

The winning pair would hold off Singleton contingent Danny Worth and Sam Constable who finished runners up. Yet locals still cheered as officials reminded the eager crowd that Codrington was originally a Singleton local herself.

"Jess is right into her running group and she does half marathons and stuff like that," he continued.

"She is part of the 'Butt Runners' which is the nickname for the Blackbutt parkrunners.

"We've been together for about four years, living together in Merewether and she has worked at Newcastle for quite some time now."

Only 23 seconds separated the pair from the fifth and final time on the final sheet such was the competitiveness of the contest.

Finnish couple Victor and Abigail Nordberg finished third overall. The visiting couple will also be in Sonkajrvi next year to witness the world famous event.

"I'm actually from Finland so I thought it would be pretty funny to represent Australia in my home country of Finland next July so that was a goal for us as well," Victor told the viewers.

Last year Lithuanian couple Vytautas Kirkliauskas and Neringa Kirkliauskiene took out a second straight world title in Finland with a time of 1:07.

If he can beat that time he will not only be crowned as the first world champion from Australia but will also receive his partner's weight in beer. However Metcalfe still needs time to let his national title sink in before focusing on next year's competition.

Finally, he was asked to give advice for next year's competitors.

"I'd say don't go out of the gaps too quick because you'll run out of legs," he replied.

In the days after the event national television coverage was viewed throughout Australia where organiser Rebecca Clark shared the following words.

"So the Singleton Show is a reasonably big show for our community size," she told viewers.

"We've got a large committee with over 50 people on our committee as well which is quite rare for regional shows.

"It's so important particularly at the moment with all the problems we're facing in rural Australia, not just a drought, but a myriad of other problems to keep up these regional shows and keep the volunteer committees alive.

"A lot of work goes into it which we really appreciate and we hope everyone in attendance enjoys it."

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.