重さはカバ並、１２４７キロの「おばけカボチャ」が世界記録　米

【ロサンゼルスＡＦＰ＝時事】米カリフォルニア州ハーフムーンベイで９日、カボチャの重さを競う第５０回ハーフムーンベイ・パンプキン・フェスティバルが開催され、カバ１頭の体重に匹敵する「おばけカボチャ」が世界記録を打ち立てた。（写真は、米カリフォルニア州ハーフムーンベイで開催された第５０回ハーフムーンベイ・パンプキン・フェスティバルにて、重さ１２４７キロで優勝したカボチャ）
　優勝したのは、ミネソタ州在住のトラビス・ギンガーさん。１２４７キロのカボチャを出品し、２位に１１３キロ以上の大差を付け、３万ドル（約４５０万円）の賞金を獲得した。
　大会の動画によれば、オレンジ色のシャツを着たギンガーさんは計量後に優勝が決まると、英ロックバンド「クイーン」の「Ｗｅ Ａｒｅ Ｔｈｅ Ｃｈａｍｐｉｏｎｓ」が鳴り響く中、拳を突き上げて周囲の人々とハグを交わした。
　主催者発表によれば、これまでの世界記録は２０２１年のイタリア産カボチャの１２２６キロだった。
　優勝したカボチャは、今週末にハーフムーンベイで開催されるアート・アンド・パンプキン・フェスティバルで展示される。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/10/11-17:04）

A monster pumpkin weighing the same as a hippopotamus has claimed the world record for the mightiest gourd -- and bagged its grower a $30,000 prize.
Travis Gienger squashed the competition with his enormous fruit weighing in at an improbable 2,749 pounds (1,247 kilograms) at the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival in California on Monday.
An orange-shirted Gienger punched the air and offered hugs all round after the weigh-in, as Queen's We Are The Champions blasted out, according to video from the event.
The contest, in its 50th year, pits growers of mega-gourds from all over North America against each other to see who can produce the biggest berry.
Gienger, from Minnesota, pipped his nearest rival by a hefty 250 pounds to walk away with this year's title.
He also bagged a new world record in the process, besting an Italian effort from 2021 which tipped the scales at a relatively svelte 2,703 pounds, organizers said, and claimed the $30,000 in the process.
The grand champion gourd will be on display in Half Moon Bay this weekend when the town hosts its Art and Pumpkin Festival.
The United States is currently in the throes of autumn celebrations with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes available at many stores.
While some will be carved into ghoulish designs for Halloween at the end of the month, others will be made into pies or consumed as part of dinner.
Pumpkin spice -- a blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger -- is almost inescapable at this time of year, flavoring everything from cookies to coffee and even cans of Spam.