American Boy
Wins Smelliest Shoe Competition
by Isabella and Jess

Seven year old Joshua Boothe beat six other smelly shoe owners to win the competition for owning America’s smelliest trainers. The competition was the 34^th annual National Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest that took place Vermont, US.

Boothe won a gold trophy, an all-expenses paid trip to New York and a year’s supply of Odor-Eaters. Joshua also took home a cheque for $2,500 (£1,700). The boy did not say whether or not the some of the money would be used to replace his smelly trainers.

The competition brought together seven regional champions of stinky sneakers, all aged between seven and fifteen to see who had the smelly shoes. They wore their smelly shoes in front of judges that included a Nasa chemical specialist and a Brown University professor of smell.

 The judges were looking out for the condition of the trainer sole, tongue, toe and laces but it was the smell that was most important.

The competition was sponsored by a manufacturer of deodorant products for shoes and feet, Odor-Eaters.