ONE of the world's most prestigious fishing events has been won by a Halwill family.

The Gregoreks of holiday complex Anglers' Paradise are the new title holders of the Marlin World Cup.

Zyg Gregorek and his daughters, Wanda, Anna and Zenia, were one of 32 teams who took part in the event in Mauritius over an 'exhausting but exhilarating' five days.

After a disaster last year at the World Cup Mr Gregorek was determined to come back and make an impression.

The Halwill resident travels all over the world fishing but is relatively new to the competition scene.

He said the result was down to a lot of luck but the tournament is also all about skill, courage and ability.

The team gained the most points not because they caught the biggest fish but because Mr Gregorek used a 50lb line to catch his fish with, which involves more skill than using the more popular 80lb and 150lb lines.

Mr Gregorek said it was very thrilling for the family to get a gold medal and to be 'world champions'.

Each member of the team also won individual medals.

'It's not just about pulling the line in, it's a real physical fight,' he said. 'This could go on for one and a half hours at a time and by the end of the competition I had no strength left, but it was exhilarating.'