Emil Hansson, Felixia Banck and Albin Nilsson were crowned Nordic Champions in the Pro, Women and Rookie classes at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Nordic Championship in Stjørdal, Norway, on 22–23 August. Across two days of competition, leading athletes from Sweden, Norway and Denmark battled for the Nordic titles, joined by British guest athletes through the TIMBERSPORTS® Exchange Program.
Emil Hansson defends Nordic title in Pro class
Sweden’s Emil Hansson successfully defended his Nordic Championship title in the Pro class on Saturday, securing his second consecutive Nordic gold. Hansson started strongly with victory in Underhand Chop. A disqualification in Stock Saw put pressure on the defending champion, but he responded with strong performances in the remaining disciplines. He recorded 17.99 seconds in Standing Block Chop and delivered a decisive performance in Springboard, finishing in 45.41 seconds. The second-fastest Springboard time was set by fellow Swede Pontus Skye in 1:21.75.
After the final Hot Saw discipline, Hansson finished the competition with 74 points and retained his Nordic Championship title. “It feels really good. It has been a good season, and even though I didn’t deliver fully in Stock Saw today, I managed to come away with the gold medal, which was the goal. Now I hope it takes me all the way to the World Championship,” said Emil Hansson.
Fellow Swedes Edvin Karlsson and Pontus Skye completed the podium. Karlsson claimed silver after recording personal bests in Underhand Chop, Standing Block Chop and Hot Saw, while Skye secured bronze, including a personal best in Single Buck and the second-fastest performance in Springboard.
Norway’s Vebjørn Sønsteby finished fourth as the highest-ranked Norwegian athlete. Competing in front of his home crowd, Sønsteby set a new Norwegian record of 18.98 seconds in Underhand Chop, recorded the fastest Stock Saw time of the competition at 10.48 seconds and was second-fastest in Single Buck with 13.37 seconds. Disqualifications in Springboard and Hot Saw ultimately cost Sønsteby important points, leaving him in fourth place with 47 points. “Of course, it is a little bitter and disappointing to let myself down in the final two rounds, especially when the first part of the competition went so well. At the same time, it was great fun to compete on home soil, and a lot of people came to watch. I really appreciate that,” said Vebjørn Sønsteby.
The Norwegian team fielded four athletes in the Pro class, its strongest representation in several years. “It is very positive that we have four Norwegian athletes competing in the Pro class. That is more than we have had for many years. Recruitment is looking good, and that is promising for the future,” Sønsteby added.
Felixia Banck claims Women’s Nordic title in comeback
On Sunday, Denmark’s Felixia Banck completed a successful return to the TIMBERSPORTS® competition stage by becoming Nordic Champion in the Women’s class. Banck returned after several years away from competition and faced a field including reigning Nordic Champion Tove Njåstad and British guest athletes Catherine Eccles and Libby Arrowsmith, who participated through the TIMBERSPORTS® Exchange Program.
The battle for the title went down to the smallest of margins. After four disciplines, Banck and Eccles were tied on 11 points. Their combined competition times therefore decided the overall ranking, with Banck finishing in 2:35.55 – less than two seconds ahead of Eccles on 2:37.33. Njåstad finished third with nine points. Banck concluded her competition with the fastest Underhand Chop of the field, recording 41.07 seconds and setting a new Danish record in the process.
“I can hardly believe it after the fight I’ve had to be here. It is incredible to finally stand at the top of the podium. I hadn’t looked at any of the times, so it wasn’t until they came over and told me that I had won that I knew,” said Felixia Banck. Following the victory, Banck is already looking towards defending her Nordic title next season. “The next goal is to come back next year, be fully fit and take the title again,” she said.
For reigning champion Tove Njåstad, the competition ended with third place. “I’m disappointed with my competition and that I wasn’t able to show what I know I can do. Small things make the difference – slightly better sawing, a little more in the chopping – and today that final piece was missing. Now I’ll rest and take a break, then the goal is to come back next year, find the right feeling again and, above all, rediscover the joy,” said Tove Njåstad.
Albin Nilsson becomes Nordic Rookie Champion
The Nordic title in the Rookie class was also decided on Sunday, with Sweden’s Albin Nilsson becoming Nordic Champion. The Rookie field also included British guest athlete Rowan Luxton, who participated through the TIMBERSPORTS® Exchange Program. Luxton recorded the highest overall score in the competition with 34 points, ahead of Nilsson on 32 points and fellow Swede Dennis Olsson in third. As an international guest athlete, Luxton competed outside the Nordic Championship classification, meaning the Nordic title went to Nilsson.
Norway was represented by debutant Anders Pålssønn Kirkeby, who had started training in TIMBERSPORTS® only three months before the championship. In his first-ever competition, Kirkeby successfully completed all four disciplines and finished sixth with 16 points. “It felt really good. I was a little nervous, but I managed to complete all the disciplines, and I’m very happy with that. I only started training three or four months ago, so I didn’t really have any expectations. But this definitely made me want more, and I absolutely hope to continue,” said Anders Pålssønn Kirkeby.
Full results from the Pro, Women and Rookie competitions are available in the Database.
