Gold for Teddy Bear

Linda Earl (52), co-owner of Bears Etcetera in Roodepoort's Clearwater Mall, has won a gold medal for South Africa - in the Bear Olympics. Her entry, named Snatch & Jerks, took 16 hours of work. Yauh-Zeng Lin, a teddy bear collector from Taiwan, started the Bear Olympics in 2003. Linda's creation was inspired by Olympic weight lifters. Entries were received from 32 countries.