Michał Dubicki made it three successive STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® European Trophy victories – and a fifth continental crown overall - in front of an ecstatic home crowd in Barzkowice, Poland. Dubicki battled his way past some of Europe’s best logger sportsmen to cement his place as a European Trophy legend, even recovering from a fall in a dramatic Semi Final, before surging past Sweden’s 2022 European Trophy winner Emil Hansson in the Final. Jacek Groenwald ensured two podium finishes for Poland after coming from behind to pip Netherland’s Redmer Knol to the bronze medal by just 0.08 seconds in a thrilling Small Final.
The 2026 European Trophy saw the 16 best elite logger sportsmen touch down in Poland for the continent’s leading competition in the much-loved Trophy format.
Dubicki entered the competition with more European Trophy titles than anyone else and he will have been determined to add to this bulging trophy cabinet in front of the Polish people.
He started as he meant to go on, setting the fastest time in the opening Time Trial before easing through his Round of 16 against Switzerland’s Rolf Hasler and a Quarter Final against Czechia’s Matyáš Klíma by comfortable margins of 20 and 10 seconds respectively.
Dubicki’s toughest test came in a dramatic Semi Final against Netherlands’ Redmer Knol. With both athletes neck-and-neck at the completion of the Underhand Chop, Dubicki lost his footing in transition which on another day may have cost him valuable seconds and his place in the Final. Instead, Dubicki recovered to set his fastest time of the day, 58.23 seconds, to see off the challenge from Knol, who set a national record of 59.64 seconds.
In the Final, Dubicki faced a previous champion in the form of Sweden’s Emil Hansson, who took the European Trophy in 2022. However, with four European Trophy titles already to his name, Dubicki knew he still had the superior record in the competition on his side. That experience and his enduring class ensured a record-extending fifth European crown for the Pole, who came home in front of a partisan crowd in 58.98 seconds – his third sub-minute score of the day – to Hansson’s 1:03.25.
In a spectacular day for Polish logger sports, Jacek Groenwald bounced back from his Semi Final defeat to Hansson to win the tightest match-up of the day, beating Dutchman Knol to the bronze medal by just 0.08 seconds – one of the most thrilling finishes in European Trophy history.
Full results and final standings for the 2026 European Trophy can be found on the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® database.
