News
STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® reveals star studded line-up for season opening World Trophy
31 May 2023 – Defending champion Jack Jordan and fellow 2022 finalist Jason Lentz are leading the charge towards the 2023 World Trophy in Rotterdam in June.
With anticipation building for international season opener and fan favourite competition, the World Trophy, STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® has today confirmed the world class field of elite logger sports athletes who will battle it out to become 2023 World Trophy champion on Saturday 10th June. The event will see TIMBERSPORTS® athletes from around the world take over the iconic Onderzeebootloods, an historical submarine shipyard in the Port of Rotterdam. Taking place over the same weekend are the Rookie World Championship and International Women Cup in what will be a two-day celebration of The Original Extreme Sport. Headlining the World Trophy field are last year’s finalists, New Zealand’s defending champion, Jack Jordan, and the USA’s Jason Lentz, who lost narrowly to Jordan in an event, which saw the Kiwi athlete win his first individual international title.
In an ultra-competitive line-up, they will be joined by 2018 Individual World Champion and 2019 World Trophy runner-up Laurence O’Toole, with the Australian returning to the World Trophy stage for the first time in four years. Meanwhile Geoff Larkin will represent Canada after replacing Nathan Cumberland. The European hopefuls aiming for a podium finish include 2022 European Trophy winner Emil Hansson, from Sweden, and seasoned TIMBERSPORTS® competitors Koen Martens (Belgium), Michał Dubicki (Poland) and Ferry Svan (Sweden). Local hero Redmer Knol will be flying the flag for the Netherlands and can expect a partisan crowd to get behind him in Rotterdam.
Australian Rookie Champion Curtis Bennett the latest in a long line of talent from ‘Down Under’
During a weekend which will see the best young talent TIMBERSPORTS® has to offer, Australia’s Rookie Champion Curtis Bennett will be aiming to prove his country’s reputation for producing world-beating logger sports athletes is as formidable as ever. He can be considered the marginal favourite to win the Rookie World Championship, although he may not have things all his own way with a strong cast of youngsters vying for the title. Joining him in Rotterdam is Poland’s Szymon Groenwald, who will be aiming to go better than last year’s bronze medal having recently set a world record in the Springboard discipline. Hot on their heels will be freshly crowned US Rookie Champion Gavin Brumbaugh, New Zealand’s Sam Bellamy, Canada’s Thian Carman and Italy’s Michel Perrin.
International Women Cup returns with fully-fledged international field after 2022 debut
After a successful debut last year, the International Women Cup returns with a fully-fledged international starter field featuring the best female TIMBERSPORTS® talent from around the world. For the first time, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will send their national women’s champion to compete for the title, with USA’s Erin LaVoie – one of the most accomplished female athletes over the past decade – seen as a strong contender. The Europeans will have a say in who reaches the top of the podium however, sending a strong field that includes Germany’s double world record holder Alrun Uebing.
Broadcast
All competitions will be livestreamed on the international TIMBERSPORTS® YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels and the World Trophy and the Rookie World Championship will be livestreamed on the international sports broadcasting platform DAZN in Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.
The full competition entry lists and schedules are available at https://data.stihl-timbersports.com
