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EMIL HANSSON qualifies for TIMBERSPORTS® World Championship
The Nordic TIMBERSPORTS® elite gathered in Stenkullen, Gothenburg, to compete in the Nordic Championship 2022. In addition to the title as Nordic champion, a win would also mean a place in the Individual World Championship. After incredibly even heats between Ferry Svan and Emil Hansson, Hansson won the championship as Svan got disqualified in the final discipline, Hot Saw. 21-year-old athlete Emil Hansson will thus represent Sweden on home-turf at Partille Arena in October.
The TIMBERSPORTS® season, which started in May, has been busy with competitions for the Swedish athletes. During Saturday, everything came to its edge as the Nordic Championships were held in Stenkullen, just outside Gothenburg. Athletes from every level (PRO, Intermediate, Rookie and Women) gathered to crown a Nordic champion in each level. Tough heats were expected for the PRO’s. The Swedish athletes has a had a great year, especially Emil Hansson and Ferry Svan, who were favourites to battle for the title.
The Swedish athletes Svan, Hansson, Svadling and Skye performed on a high level throughout the whole competition. When it was time for the last discipline, Hot Saw, Svan was in the lead. Hansson set a new Nordic record of 5.89 seconds and as Svan entered the stage for the final heat, a lot was at stake. After a record time of 5.73 seconds, Svan was declared disqualified for sawing outside the mark – and Emil Hansson was crowned the new Nordic Champion.
"I went into the competition with the goal to perform better than I did last time at Nordic Cup in Orsa, were I had a bad feeling. That feeling lingered in the first two disciplines today, but then we got to Standing Block Chop. There I felt assured and finished on a good time – and managed to catch up", says Emil Hansson. "Now it’s time to go home, recharge and train even more on the disciplines that I want to improve in. Of course, I take with me all the positives from today. There will be many talented athletes at the World Championship and I’m sure that I will be the youngest. I dare not say anything about my chances yet. There are six disciplines and that’s the tricky bit, you must perform well in each of them. You can’t afford to lose mark in any of them", says Hansson.
Ferry Svan, 25, was the favourite ahead of the competition and has long had the personal goal to win the Nordic Championship, and thus represent Sweden in the individual competition during the World Championship, this autumn. The result from Saturday means that Svan will have to sit out on the individual competition in World Championship, and instead focus on the team competition which takes place on October 28.
"I’m actually satisfied with my overall performance today. It’s just those few millimetres in the Hot Saw discipline that went over the line. I am of course very disappointed, but that’s how it is in this sport, there are small margins", says Ferry Svan. "The next competition is the European Nations Cup in Switzerland, which is a good opportunity to bounce back. Then all my focus will be on the team competitions during the World Championship on home-turf, where I like our chances. We have a very strong team, which today’s competition is evidence of", says Svan.
Gold medals for Sweden in all levels
Sweden also took home gold in the other competition levels. In the Women’s competition, that was held for the first time in the Nordic Championship, Swedish Tove Njåstad took home first place. In the Rookie competition, Adam Bjöns won gold after impressing heats and Emil Svensson grabbed the first place in the Intermediate competition.
