Nate Hodges has made it: in November 2024 the 40-year-old was crowned individual world champion at the Zenith Metropole in Toulouse – making him the third-ever American to win the title, and ensuring his triumph would go down in the history books. He lives on the west coast of the USA, and is preoccupied with wood in both his personal and professional life: as the owner of an axe throwing venue, he gets both adults and children excited about the sport. To take the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Series world championship title back to the USA, Nate Hodges trained hard for the most important competition of his career so far, and consulted legends of the sport to prepare.
Did you expect to win the title in 2024 this year?
Nate Hodges: Honestly: Yes! I trained and worked harder for this competition than for anything else in my life. I knew I had a real chance of winning, if everything went according to plan. And it did: it’s a dream come true.
How does the fact that you are from the USA affect your style or approach compared to international competitors?Most athletes would agree that the competitions in the United States are among the toughest in the world. Anyone who can get to the top here is certainly ready for the international stage.
Are there any specific training routines that have helped you on your way to becoming a world-class athlete?
The training and workouts I need to do to maintain top performance are hard. But I think that's true for every elite athlete – no matter what sport. Anyone who wants to keep themselves at the highest level has to push themselves to the limit ahead of a significant competition.
Who have been the biggest mentors or role models on your journey and how have they influenced you?
Laurence O'Toole from Australia has absolutely been my mentor and role model. When I started in the sport I sought advice from a lot of athletes, but no one was as generous and helpful as he was. He believed in me. Jim Taylor from Redding, California also had an extremely positive impact on my journey. The first time we met, he said he could see me on the professional STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® stage. I didn't even know what that was back then! But today I can say that he was right.
Are there any particular challenges in your sporting career that have shaped you?
If it were simple, anyone could do it – that’s how I would sum it up. There have been many challenges along the way, and the biggest one has been living on the west coast of the USA. In the United States, all the top competitors and the types of wood we use come from the east coast. This makes it really difficult to train all disciplines under real conditions before the national competition.
How important is mental strength in your sport?
When you're on stage under the spotlights, and with the cameras pointing at you, there's only one thing that counts: delivering results. Mental strength is clearly key to succeeding in competitions – and preparing mentally takes longer than preparing physically. I’ve been working on it all my life.
How do you think TIMBERSPORTS® as a sport has developed over the years?
I reckon I have studied the sport more intensively than almost any other athlete. Since my debut on the stage in 2019, the level of competition has increased enormously – not just in the United States, but in all countries. The competition is getting tougher and tougher.
How do you envision your own future at TIMBERSPORTS®?
Nate Hodges: I would like to do this sport for as long as I am physically able to. STIHL has done a great job of developing the sport. And I’m excited to see it grow every year.
My goal is to win the title again in the United States – and then of course to defend my World Championship title.
