PUMPKIN weighing 1,013 kg scoops first prize in Ludwigsburg contest

C/U Pumpkins at Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival, Ludwigsburg
W/S Pumpkins
W/S Pumpkins reading (German): "20 years"
M/S Pumpkins reading (German): "20 years"
W/S Dragon sculpture made of pumpkins
M/S Dragon sculpture made of pumpkins
W/S Pokemon Pikachu sculpture made of pumpkins
M/S Pokemon Pikachu sculpture made of pumpkins
W/S Bird sculpture made of pumpkins
M/S Bird sculpture made of pumpkins
W/S Pumpkin being brought
M/S Attendees
M/S Pumpkin being weighed
M/S Attendees
M/S Pumpkin being weighed
M/S Scale showing pumpkin's weight of 1,013 kilogrammes (2,233 pounds)
W/S Attendees applauding
M/S Winner of pumpkin weighing competition from Belgium Mario van Geel
W/S Van Geel
SOT, Mario van Geel, Winner of pumpkin weighing competition from Belgium: "This pumpkin is [inaudible] very big, yes."
M/S Scarf on pumpkin reading: "Belgium" *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Mario van Geel, Winner of pumpkin weighing competition from Belgium: "Next year, I hope it's 1,100 kilos. Maybe it's [about] only 50 percent looking [after] and 50 percent is working, yes."
W/S Pumpkins; attendees at Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival
W/S Figure made of pumpkins; attendees at Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival
SCRIPT
Belgian farmer Mario van Geel won a pumpkin weighing competition in the German city of Ludwigsburg on Sunday, with a gourd that weighed some 1,013 kilogrammes (2,233 pounds).
The farmer, who comes from Kasterlee near Antwerp, was followed by his compatriots Luc van Heuckelom, whose gourd weighed some 979 kilogrammes (2,158 pounds) and Jan Biermans with his 860-kilogramme (1,895-pound) pumpkin.
Eighteen farmers from six countries reportedly participated in the competition, including Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland and Romania.
Despite the victory, Van Gee's pumpkin did not beat the world record set in 2016 by Belgian farmer Mathias Willemijns, whose gourd weighted 1,190.5 kilogrammes (2,624 pounds).
The 2019 Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival runs from August 30 to November 3. The theme of this year's festival is the 'Fairy Tale World', which features elaborate sculptures made of pumpkins, including a dragon, a unicorn and a Pokemon Pikachu, among others.
Some 450,000 pumpkins are presently on display and can be viewed in the Blooming Baroque gardens that surround Ludwigsburg Palace.